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NBC Muffs Happiness

“Happiness, even in hard times, it turns out the feeling IS contagious” begins NBC’s report on Harvard’s study of 4,739 people over 20 years researching “how social networks, siblings, friends and neighbors are affected by the happiness of others.”

“Happiness isn’t a solitary experience, it’s dependent on others” the study asserts.

Is it surprising that researchers who studied the effects of social networks on happiness would find that social interactions are necessary for happiness? They even examined geographic variables…

“Close physical proximity is essential for happiness to spread,” the study reports. “A happy friend who lives within a half mile makes you 42% more likely to be happy yourself. If that same friend lives two miles away, the impact drops to 22%. Happy siblings make you 14% more likely to be happy, but only if they live within a mile.”

Egad! What are we meant to do to be happy? Move closer to happy friends and siblings if we have them? What if they’re not close by or if they suddenly face tragedy and become unhappy?

How does this help us find Happiness In Hard Times? Does the study provide useful insights that help the world be happier during difficult times? Did they reduce their analysis to ridiculous decimals?

NBS’c clips show people looking outside of themselves for happiness as if happiness is not a product of our own internal orientation and decisions.

“What makes me happy is… a good meal, knowing my job is in good shape, a yo yo?”

What about people facing difficult times who have none of these external delights, are they doomed to despair and depression? What can we do to bring greater joy to difficult situations?

We love NBC and MSNBC. Their integrity and intellectual sophistication is often lacking in the other networks. On occasion, NBC goes to amusing lengths to protect the public from themselves.

Watch Jon Stewart’s hilarious report on NBC’s Macy’s Thanksgiving parade coverage. A good laugh is a great way to bring happiness into your life.

See Happiness In Hard Times for Happiness Habit’s hints about how to be happy during difficult times.

Tags:happiness habit, happiness research, michele moore, NBC's happiness
Posted in Happiness News | 1 Comment »

Happiness Expanding & Updated

We’ve not been silent the past few months!

HappinessHabit.com
has expanded and embraced and exciting new scope and look!

We’ll be emphasizing Happiness In Hard Times – How To Be Happy When Times Are Tough & Help Others To Be Happy Too in coming months.

See new postings:
Breaking Blocks To Learning
on
Happiness Habits For Families
and
Seven Steps to Seeing Communications Clearly
and the
Power of Truth
on
Fight With Finesse.

Explore HappinessHabit.com to expand and enhance your happiness!

Tags:happiness habit, happiness secret, happy life, happy people, michele moore
Posted in Happiness News, NoTweet | No Comments »

Positive Psychology Can Be Dangerous!

Positive Psychology is very popular in American academia today.

Positive psychologists believe we can all be happy or happier by being more positive.

They suggest we substitute more positive judgments for negative ones, spend time on Gratitude Lists and journal good things that happen in our lives.

They believe the more time we spend focusing on positives over negatives, the happier we will be.

They preach the Gospel of Learned Optimism, that we can learn to be more optimistic in our assessments of life and be happier.

The Positive Psychology Happiness Formula is:
Positive Judgments => Produce Happiness
Negative Judgments => Mean Misery
Therefore More Positive Judgments Mean More Happiness

While there is some truth to this statement (it is a variant of the First Law of Happiness – Our Focus Determines Our Feelings) they overlook a number of key points:

The first is optimism can cause us to overlook or ignore important danger signals and warning signs that help us thrive and survive. We are told we just need to be more positive, to see more benefits and fewer threats. This can be dangerous.

The Happiness Habit model is very different. Habitually Happy people assess reality very accurately and take decisive and often very creative action. Once they are confident they have made good decisions, they put the full force of positive expectations behind their plans and drive to excel and do well.

They know the dangers of excessive optimism and react accordingly.

More importantly, Habitually Happy people don’t ignore misery. They know misery has messages and meaning.

Misery Is Meant To Make Us Move

Misery is meant to make us move and take action – it is a signal something needs to change or is changing.

Misery means we need to change what we are doing, how we think, how we feel or all perhaps all three. If our world is changing, we need to change to adapt, adjust and end our misery.

Stuffing, ignoring or replacing negative signals with learned optimism is not a universal route to happiness and spiritual success.

When our heart, gut, soul and being are screaming something is wrong, it’s not wise to try to pretend everything is fine.

Examine those negative feelings, understand what they are saying and react accordingly. Are threats real or merely effects of past conditioning, environment and experience? Can we turn those negatives into positives?

Assess Reality Accurately. Explore and Appreciate What Negative Feelings Are Trying to Say.

Be Decisive, Make Effective Decisions. Put The Full Force of Positive Expectations Behind All Your Plans.

Use a Drive To Excel and Do Well to Propel You to Happiness and Spiritual Success.

Try To Enjoy and Make The Most of Each and Every Moment.
Be Realistic, Not Blind.

See HappinessHabit.com for more information about happiness and spiritual success.

Tags:habitually happy, happier, happiness, happiness habit, happy life, happy people, michele moore, positive psychology
Posted in Happiness News | 6 Comments »

Is Happiness for Everyone?

The path to happiness is universal, open to everyone, everywhere.

But is making happiness our top priority right for everyone?

Should we all put happiness first in our personal, family and business lives or do other priorities weigh in as more important? That’s for each of us to decide.

For some of us other things are more important than happiness… security, social significance, power, prominence, or perhaps creativity or making a lasting, important, indelible impact or contribution.

The world is a far richer, more delightful place because of Steve Jobs. His vision and determined dedicated leadership have changed the world. One would not say he has taken the traditional route to happiness.

No doubt he has achieved great happiness but in different, unusual ways.

We all can’t be Steve Jobs and Steve Jobs needs the rest of us doing what we are doing for his business model to succeed.

There are many different paths to happiness, but the qualities and characteristics of a happy life remain constant.

Money, success and power take precedence over happiness for many people. Many people could easily have both if the knew how to balance the two.

Greatness in any field requires sacrifices, but it also definitely has its rewards.

We can be happy and great at what we do. The truly great allow happiness to help propel their exuberant zeal to excel and do well.

Explore HappinessHabit.com for additional happiness resources.

Tags:happiness, happiness resources, happy, happy life, happy people, michele moore, steve jobs
Posted in Happiness Notes | 1 Comment »

Happiness and Greatness

A Drive to Do Well and Excel Are Keys to both Happiness and Greatness!

Habitually happy people want to do their best, feel their best, be their best all the time.

They also continually and creatively look for ways to make their best even better.

This is the same mindset described as the keys to Greatness by Fortune Magazine.

The article discusses recent studies of people who have excelled in their sport or profession, examining what it takes to be great.

The good news is… greatness in a skill, sport or profession does not come from natural talents or gifts. Greatness is open to any and all of us.

Greatness comes from rugged, rigorous hard work and a determined drive and desire to continually improve our skills.

The same principles hold true for happiness. By continually and creatively finding ways to live more happily and successfully, we can grow our happiness and spiritual success.

For more insights and happiness resources see HappinessHabit.com

Tags:greatness, habitually happy, happiness, happiness habit, happy, happy life, happy people, michele moore
Posted in Happiness News | 2 Comments »

Valentine Happiness

Valentine’s Day Is a Reminder to Love… Ourselves and Others, Every day.

If you’re in a relationship… it’s a special, exciting day! Think of all the wonderful, kind, loving things you’ll do – choose one and decide to do it every day from now on.

Put a little Valentine’s Day in every day.

Maybe it’s beginning each day with a smile, a hug and an “I love you.” Or replacing one indifferent or distant habit with love and affection. Welcome them at the door or ask about their day and really listen.

One simple, small thing to add affection and care all year round.

Single, On Your Own?

Give yourself big hugs all day and enjoy the warmth of each loving, happy hug. Feel love in your heart, make a special effort to radiate it to everyone around you.

Enjoy, appreciate and delight in who you are and what you do. Resolve to do this at least once a day, every day from now on.

Enjoy and relish your own company, plan to take yourself out for a nice meal another, quieter day. Enjoy a solo adventure.

There’s a marvelous freedom and power in being happy on your own, in creating and carrying your own happiness within you where ever you go.

Reject myths saying we need a “relationship” to make us happy and complete, messages that make singles feel defective, needy and dependent. They say we should look to others for happiness when its true source lies within ourselves.

It’s the loving relationships and loving communities we create around us daily that bring expansive, enduring joy. They can easily be extensive, everywhere.

We can’t be happy in a “relationship” when we are not happy on our own. Resolve to love yourself and be happy on your own, right now.

For Everyone…

Make a special effort to radiate love and joy to everyone around you. Smile, seek out someone who is lonely and despondent, give them a special hug, remind them they are loved.

Tags:happiness, happiness habit, happy, happy relationship, joy, love, michele moore, valentine
Posted in Happiness Notes | 3 Comments »

Happiness Without Hardness

The Best Way to Excel and Do Well At Anything
Is To Cultivate A Love For It.

Love And Exuberant Zeal Propel
Happiness and Success.

People who are at the top of their profession or calling truly love what they do and devote their entire life, their soul, their being to it.

They are determined to be the best. Lasting, remarkable success doesn’t happen by accident or with sloppiness.

Star performers have decided to be different in some way, to add a new artistry, invention, dimension, perspective or approach to their endeavors.

They are not just the same as everyone else and better. They are different, creative, distinctive.

Preeminence has its perils. A top coach complained success had made her hard because of the back biting, infighting and sabotage within her sport. Jealous, envious people can be very hateful.

Your colleagues are competitors. You can’t count on affirmation, support or admiration from people you consistently beat. Hurt causes hardness, sometimes even hatred.

Protect yourself from pain and be happy with your success without becoming hard. Reposition your attitudes, view bad antics as sick, dysfunctional and pathetic. Feel sorry for them.

Envy and Jealousy Are Marks of Losers!

Embrace the love you feel for your sport, endeavor or profession. You are the best because you have worked harder and added more than the others.

Truly successful people look at great performers, admire them, support them, emulate them and try to learn all they can from them. Losers discredit, devalue or subvert winner’s successes.

There’s a reason why winners rise to the top while losers stay stuck below them. Backbiting, infighting and subversion become more important than love of excellence and the endeavor.

There’s a huge difference between striving to deliver an exceptional performance and wanting to beat someone. Winners love to embrace the very best, losers often try to hurt. Expect people you beat to be unhappy.

Don’t look for affirmation or admiration from competitors. It will come from people who appreciate what you do, understand how hard you work and have hearts as strong and as good as yours.

Tags:happiness, happiness habit, happy, love, michele moore
Posted in Happiness News | No Comments »

Happiness And Pride

Pride Is One of the Most Important and Misunderstood Aspects of Happiness

Pride in a job well done, pride in doing the right thing, in your accomplishments, your integrity or in the family you raised, are all very positive and healthy.

Pride Is An Important Part of Feeling Good About Ourselves, It Is a Healthy Part of Happiness.

Pride can also be a very bad, dangerous defect. What’s the difference? Here are some examples…

False Pride – Places too much emphasis on what other people may think or how they may react. Other people’s opinions of us run our lives. We become directed by fears and concerns about what other people think. False pride can prevent us from seeking and accepting the help we need to survive and thrive. False pride can cause us to try too hard to impress other people.

Superior Pride – Raises people up and places them above others, separating and isolating them with an inflated sense of self importance. We all know people with stuck up superior pride, they are attractive only to themselves. Their attitude says, “I am better than you and the rest of the world.”

Perfectionistic Pride – Demands that things be perfect in order to be acceptable and that we accept only the very best. Anything less is inferior and unworthy. Perfectionistic pride wastes time, resources and destroys happiness. It is exclusive and exclusionary. Perfectionistic pride limits our willingness to explore, try new things, to enjoy differences.

Each of These Negative Forms of Pride Defeat Our Desires to Be Happy and Spiritually Successful. Recognize and reject them and replace them with happy, successful responses.

How Do We Decide If Pride Is Positive or Perverse? Ask, is it helpful or hurtful? Does our pride expand and enhance our lives and opportunities or does it limit them? Is it a genuine expression of love, delight and affection? Or is it a twisted, limiting, false elevation and pseudo enhancement of self?

Trumpeting Triumphs is Not Bragging! Celebrating successes, trumpeting triumphs and delighting in good deeds all motivate us to do more and are important to happiness, enthusiasm and success. Bragging is very different. Bragging says, “I am better than you are…!”

Trumpet Triumphs, Celebrate Successes, Delight in Good Deeds, All Are Part of Healthy Pride and Are Keys to Happiness and Spiritual Success!!!!

For more see: Happiness Habit.com

Tags:happiness, happiness habits, happy, michele moore, pride
Posted in Happiness News, Happiness Notes | 1 Comment »

Empathy Is Essential

Empathy Is Essential To Happiness

Empathy means we can sympathize and identify with other people’s pain,
situations and feelings.

Empathy is the core of compassion.

Empathy means we care about others, that we have concern for their welfare and well-being.

Habitually happy people characteristically exhibit abundant love and empathy. They genuinely care about people and the world around them. Love truly does propel happiness.

The More We Love, The Greater Our Happiness. Where there is no love, there is no happiness.

The empty, apathetic angst that characterizes the affluent and arrogant amplifies this truth.

People who place themselves above and apart from the rest of the world rarely experience the love, happiness or joy that flows so easily to people who eagerly embrace the entire world.

Evil people may love, but their love is limited and conditional.

The Best Way To Prosper Is To Help Others Prosper.

The Best Way To Be Loved Is To Love.

The Best Way To Be Happy Is To
Delight In Helping Others To Be Happy,
Especially Those Who Are Less Fortunate Than You!

For more Happiness Habits see HappinessHabit.com

Tags:empathy, happiness, happiness habit, happy, love, michele moore
Posted in Happiness News | 1 Comment »

Happiness Lessons From The Godfather

Happiness Lessons From the Godfather

The Godfather movie trilogy illustrates many valuable Business and Leadership lessons.

It also illustrates some very important Happiness Habits, most importantly, the Dangers of Departing from Goodness.

In the beginning of Part I, young Michael Corleone is happy, idealistic and moral. He comes home from WWII as a hero. He wants to stay clean and clear of the family “business.”

He stayed happy and clean until his father’s life and “business” were threatened. He changed direction and killed two people.

As the trilogy continues, Michael is drawn deeper and deeper into violence, criminal dominance, alienation from goodness and separation from his family.

When the Godfather Part III ends, Michael is alone. He has it all financially, but nothing spiritually or emotionally. He has lost his family, his loved ones and himself. He is empty and desolate.

He has supreme success in a life of crime. In time, a rival may kill him and end his misery. What does he have to live for? To look forward to? To strive for?

Don’t Depart From Goodness
Make Goodness Your Guiding Goal

Always Try To Do Your Best, Be Your Best, Follow The Best Path You Know

No matter how things turn out, you know you did your best and you could do no more. You are blameless and your conscience will be clear. A clear conscience is central to all happiness and spiritual success.

Tags:godfather, happiness, happiness lessons, happy, michele moore
Posted in Happiness News, Happiness Notes | 1 Comment »

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