True Happiness For Everyone, from Children to Seniors
Doing good deeds, family and friends, and laughing. Just a few of the things in life that make me happy. Is the laundry list of things that make us happy the true keys to happiness, or is it something deeper? According to Nick Temple of the Global Ideas Bank, compiler of "500 Ways to Change the World," psychologist Dan Baker has identified six key tools that are essential to true happiness:
- "Appreciation: the outward-bound kind of love that gives everything and asks for nothing, making it pure and strong." Think about the last time you forgot your wallet or purse somewhere and how happy you are when a friend or stranger returned it to you-now that's appreciation!
- "Choice: Anyone can choose the course of their lives, but only happy people do it." When you make a choice, you take control over a situation, you assert yourself, you express yourself, all of which can be both liberating and exhilarating.
- "Personal power: A proactive force that gives individuals the power over their feelings and their fate. It is made up of two constituent parts: taking action and taking responsibility." Much like when you make a choice, you are knowingly taking the wheel and driving.
- "Leading with your strengths: Focusing on strengths, rather than focusing on weaknesses, enables a swifter resolving of situations." It has been proven that people respond better to positive reinforcement. And the law of attraction essentially says that the more you focus on something, the more of that something you get-if it's strength, you get strength; if it's positivity, you get positivity.
- "The power of language: Language can be used in a healthy or horrible way, and words have immense power to constrain or liberate." Be honest and open when you speak to others, and be sure to think before you speak whenever possible.
- "Multidimensional living: Putting energy into the three main components of life (relationships, health and purpose) is the final key." Balance is the key to just about everything!
When evaluating your life, think about the things that make you happy. Where do they fit within these categories? Are there areas for improvement? Perhaps these categories can serve as a guide to set your goals and prioritize, or serve as a catalyst to evaluate your life in general.