(If you haven't the time, (or the desire, ha, ha) to read to the end of this blog, please, PLEASE do yourself a favour and watch the 12 min TED talk given by Shawn Achor.)
As someone who's had "moments" of unhappiness, I have sought out many ways over the years to treat my unhappiness. Like most people I came to the conclusion that if I could just be successful (you know...lose weight, get married, good job, lose weight, lose weight, lose weight) then I would be happy. Oddly enough, that never worked. Now I know why. Every time I lost some weight, I changed the goal...I'll be happy when I lose more. Rushed to get married because my friends were married, so, of course, that didn't work.
But I am nothing if not diligent so I continue to search for ways to be happy. One of my favourite ways is to give my brain some positive messages and one such way is Oprah's "Super Soul Sunday"...love, love this show! Each Sunday she interviews experts in various areas of enlightenment. Some I identify with, some not. One amazing interview was with Shawn Achor, a Harvard grad who studied and now teaches Positive Psychology. He talked about the traditional model of finding happiness..."If I work harder, I'll be more successful, then I'll be happier." Wow, that was me! But then he said, "Every time we have a success, we change the goal post." If you got good grades, now you have to get better grades, a good job, now you need a better job etc., Wow, me again! Is this you too?? Shawn also said this, "If happiness is on the other side of success, your brain never gets there". Makes sense doesn't it? How do we know that to be true? Because most of us are living proof....we never get to the other side. But we are also living proof that happiness makes us more successful. I've had them, you've had them, you know, those moments of happiness when everything in life just seems easier? They were easier because as Shawn says, "...Dopamine, which floods your system when your positive, has 2 functions: not only does it make you happier, it turns on all the learning centers of your brain allowing you to adapt in the world in different ways."
Shawn says we can "reverse the formula of happiness and success" and here's how:
Re-train your brain daily to create positive change:
- Write down 3 different things your grateful for each day
- Keep a journal of the times our are happy (giving your brain a chance to relive them)
- Exercise
- Meditation
- Random acts of kindness
Ummm, notice how none of them require a degree in
Rocket Science!
Like I said, being happier may be easier than we think.
Shawn Achor
http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work
2 comments:
Hi Joanne, my sister said to me recently as we chatted about life, For a happy life want what you have, this was an inspirational saying given to her by a wise friend, so true, I love it!
Darlene L
It's so true and so simple Darlene and yet we make it so difficult. Just as with working the Plan, we gotta keep it simple!
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