Happiness Hacks Read online

  Keep Your Promises

  One way to spread happiness is to keep your promises. Just as you see someone who is faithful to their word as a trustworthy person, your friends, family, and business colleagues will also trust you when you keep your promises. In this age of spin, when facts get altered in ways to deliberately mislead people and to further ideological agendas, let your truth be absolute and do what you say you’ll do. It isn’t always easy to align feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and spoken words so that no one questions your truthfulness or integrity, but keeping your promises will put you on the path to being that trustworthy person others can depend on.

  Inspire Someone

  Your personal stories can inspire someone to achieve success! You can also inspire someone to believe in herself, overcome adversity, or just feel a little happier when her mood is dark. Comforting someone who’s lost, alone, or sad is a way of spreading happiness. You can help someone replace the negative energy in her life with positive energy. Sharing personal stories can help people who have lost hope regain control of their lives and begin to search for answers to their own problems or find new meaning in their lives. Let your stories help others appreciate their own positive qualities.

  Make the World Better

  Think of three things you can do that don’t cost money but can benefit the world and the people around you. You could pick up trash along your daily walk, for example, or you could plant a tree or two. Recycle, if you don’t already. Hold open a door for a mother with a small child in a stroller. Give a construction worker or roofer a fresh bottle of water while he’s working up a sweat. Implement as many of these make-the-world-better ideas as you can! You’ll feel the joy of knowing that you are truly making the world a better place one selfless action at a time.

  Notice the Wonders of Life

  Incredible things are happening all around you all the time! Just for a moment, notice the wonders of life: look at the way light shimmers on dew drops clinging to an elaborate spider’s web, smell the scent of lilacs after a hard rain, watch the majestic flight of eagles, savor the taste of a freshly cut watermelon, gaze at the pattern of a piece of gum stuck to the pavement, admire the vibrant color of a peacock feather, hear the sizzle of a marshmallow toasted over a crackling fire. Noticing life’s little details will fire up your imagination and your natural inquisitiveness about the world.

  Get Stuck

  Acupuncture, a traditional Chinese medicine, is the process of inserting slender needles slightly under the skin at various points in the body in order to balance the flow of energy (chi) throughout the body. Whether you believe in the literal existence of chi or not, acupuncture can help you feel healthier and happier. Researchers have found that acupuncture can benefit people who are experiencing depression, anxiety, and other problems, including insomnia. Some researchers believe that your brain releases neurotransmitters (happy juice) in reaction to the needles, although there isn’t complete agreement on how acupuncture works. One study showed that people who had acupuncture had less anxiety and a better memory afterward, compared to a control group that didn’t undergo acupuncture. And for mood disorders, acupuncture can work immediately, unlike prescription drugs or talk therapy, and it has few side effects (except for that pesky needles-hurt-going-in part).

  Acupuncture is one of those treatments where “Don’t try this at home!” applies. Instead, seek out a licensed acupuncturist (licensing varies from state to state).

  Stay in Touch with Friends You Meet on Vacation

  Nothing brings back memories of a trip like receiving mail from friends you made while on vacation. If they don’t know how to contact you once you’ve left, though, you won’t be getting the piece of art they promised to send, their postcards, or their letters, so don’t forget to exchange your addresses (snail mail and email both) with new friends you meet and make while traveling. You’ll enjoy memories of that trip all over again when they contact you. If you’re lucky, you might even be invited back!

  No Smoking!

  Want to feel healthier, happier, and even a little richer? Quit smoking! In addition to saving your life, you’ll also be saving some cash—if you give up a three-packs-a-day habit, you’ll save thousands of dollars each year. Besides, nicotine addiction can wreak havoc on your health, and your medical bills will cost you more than your smokes will. Quitting will help you live longer and feel happier about yourself and your life. If you want to quit but haven’t been successful, don’t give up! Many ex-smokers had to quit several times before they were successful. There are lots of ways to quit. If at first you don’t succeed, don’t forget to talk to your doctor about getting help.

  Create New Ways to Make Money

  Perhaps you are one of those craftsy people who enjoy beadwork and like to make earrings, belt buckles, or pins while watching television at night. Maybe you have a passion for sports collectibles and like to pore over your collectibles in your leisure time. Whatever your interest, passion, or hobby, consider how you could turn it into income. Could you make something to sell at local art and wine festivals, on eBay, on Etsy, or in galleries that feature the work of local artisans? Think of ways to generate income from your knowledge, passion, and expertise. Yes, there may be a learning curve, but eventually, you’re going to love the extra money flowing in.

  Ask for a Promotion

  Being praised for good work is something that makes almost everyone happy, and what better praise can there be for a job well done than a promotion? You know why you should be promoted, but perhaps the timing involved in seeking the promotion could determine whether or not you get it. Is there a major project that needs to be pushed through before it would be wise to ask about getting a promotion? Does someone have to leave before you can move up and into his or her position? Decide when would be the best time to seek a promotion, then mark the date on your calendar and look at it every day. Know that the date is coming and that you need to prepare. Then, when that day arrives, ask!

  Say Happy Birthday

  Sometimes the smallest things are the most thoughtful and are the things that will truly brighten someone else’s day, like wishing people happy birthday. Keep track of your friends’ and coworkers’ birthdays. It means a lot to people when someone remembers their special day—you’ll be surprised how happy hearing “Happy birthday!” makes them. The point isn’t really to give people a card or a cake, but rather that you took the time to keep track of their special day and then helped celebrate it with them. Spreading some celebratory happiness on birthdays does wonders for others’ morale . . . and you’ll find that sharing the birthday cheer makes you happy too.

  Mentor a Child

  If you enjoy the company of young people and have the time to mentor a child, consider contacting Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. It is the oldest mentoring organization in the United States, has facilities all over the country, and has been serving youth ages six through eighteen for more than a century. National research statistics published by the organization show the positive and enduring impact adult volunteers (“Bigs”) have upon the lives of children (“Littles”) they mentor. For example, many of the children involved in the program have better family relations, are more confident about doing schoolwork, are less likely to skip school, and are less likely to use drugs and alcohol. The time you spend mentoring a child could optimize a young person’s chances for academic success and be a source of happiness for you and everyone involved in that child’s life.

  Plan Your Dream Vacation

  The anticipation of an event can often bring just as much happiness as the actual event, so start planning the vacation of your dreams now! Even if you don’t currently have the funds to take the trip, start looking into the details. You’ll notice your spirits start to lift. Maybe you’ve always wanted to go trekking in the Himalayas or visit a rain forest. No matter your ideal destination, start researching the various aspects of your trip and formulate a plan on how to make your dream a reality.

  Pa
rty for Independence

  Nothing says Fourth of July like a barbecue, so why not plan a party? Get your neighbors to come out of their apartments and houses and socialize by planning an Independence Day street party. If you plan far enough ahead, you can ask your local police department to allow you and your neighbors to rope off your street that day. Hold a Fourth of July cake bake-off, or plan games for different age groups at opposite ends of the street and use the middle for barbecue pits and lawn furniture. It will be a memorable Fourth! Plan on taking lots of pictures that will trigger happy memories years from now.

  Raise Money

  Nothing makes you feel better about yourself than working to help a noble cause. Help your church, school, or community meet its fiscal responsibilities through fundraising efforts. Successful fundraising depends—at least in part—on showing need and having a donor recognition program that reinforces a sense of belonging. School fundraising events work best when the “fun” in fundraising is emphasized. Some ideas for school fundraisers are having seasonal events, food or juice booths, candy product sales, car washes, and card sales (for prepaid phone cards, pizza cards, or cards for local gift shops). Church fundraising ideas include holding bake sales, holiday boutiques, bingo, and raffles. Raise some money for your school or church and spread the idea that helping others can create happiness for everyone involved.

  Don’t Burn Bridges

  The old adage about not burning your bridges in case you have to cross them again one day very much applies to your career: it’s not in your best interest to damage or sever professional relationships. You never know when you might meet those individuals again and have to conduct business together. If you are at least on good speaking terms and have shown respect toward the other party, it will be a lot easier to reestablish a smooth working relationship. Stay optimistic and do your best to safeguard your professional relationships—that way, you can feel happier and more assured that you are doing something vital to keeping your career or job on track.

  Play Sports

  Get active! You’ll feel better. If you prefer team sports to solo sports, join a softball or bowling team or organize a team that includes people from your circle of friends or your business colleagues. Softball teams and bowling leagues play against other teams, so even as you are having fun with friends on your team, you are also potentially making new friends with players from other teams. Psychologists say that people who live isolated lives or lack strong social networks are not as happy as those who form strong bonds and social connections with others and have ongoing support from friends and family.

  Invent Something

  Do your creative juices start to flow when you see something new? Do you immediately have an idea for making it even more functional or efficient? Do you enjoy figuring out how things work or coming up with innovative ways of doing things? You may have that creative spark that all inventors share. Just tinkering around with your product idea, sketching out drawings, making notes, or even giving your product an original name can bring you happiness. Improve upon an existing product or develop a totally new one. Find a niche in the marketplace: a product that is needed but doesn’t yet exist. Who knows? You might have the idea for the next big innovation everyone will be clamoring for.

  Go to a Farmers’ Market

  If there’s a farmers’ market in your neighborhood, gather your canvas bags or heavy-duty utility bags and head out for a brisk walk to do your grocery shopping. Since you’ll be carrying the bags of groceries back home afterward, you’ll want to be sure you can carry what you purchase—in other words, buy only what you need and what will fit into your bags. Walking while carrying groceries means you’ll be burning a lot more calories than you would be if you drove your car to the store, plus walking is better for the environment. Besides, you’ll be getting locally grown produce that is fresher and healthier for you compared to what you can find in a traditional grocery store. Now, that’s something to feel good about!

  Delegate!

  When a job or project is too big for your one brain and your one set of hands, it’s time to delegate. If you’re not a manager and delegating isn’t typically your job, speak to your manager about it. The dictionary says that “delegate” means “to entrust or hand over to another.” When your workload is lighter, you can focus more intently on every aspect of your job, meaning that you’ll most likely do your job better than you did when you were overloaded. Think of three tasks you could easily hand off to someone else (who is equally qualified for the job) and let that person get to work. Trust your delegates and give them time to do their best work. Everyone will benefit.

  Find a Friend at Work

  If there is someone in the company or at your job site whom you trust and who shares your level of integrity and ethics, aligning with them could benefit your professional goals, especially if that person is a supervisor or further along the career ladder than you are. Having someone as a workplace ally means you don’t have to feel alone as you navigate through office politics, solve problems, and deal with difficult coworkers. A workplace ally can serve as your sounding board for new ideas, cheer you on when your day is filled with special challenges, and give you pep talks to lift you up when you need a boost.

  Listen to Audiobooks

  How can an audiobook make you happy? Because of what it stops you from doing. Think about what you typically do during your commute. Do you talk on your cell? Think about your troubles? Curse the long line of cars ahead of you or at the guy who just cut you off? Instead of doing any of that, do something productive when you are forced to sit in traffic: listen to audiobooks. Buy some books about your area of business or your interests—maybe there’s an industry topic you want to know more about, or maybe there’s a new language you’d like to learn. You have to be on the road twice a day, so rather than wasting all that time, use it in ways that can return dividends for your future. You may even find yourself looking forward to your commute!

  Hit the Sauna

  Time spent in a sauna or steam bath is healthy. Why? Sweating releases unwanted materials from the body and improves circulation. Indulging in a sauna or steam bath can eliminate toxins and excess sodium, soothe tense and sore muscles, and enable you to relax into your happy place. Before stepping into a sauna or steam room, though, make sure you’re in good health by checking with your doctor. Also, it’s important to drink lots of water to replace what you lose from perspiration.

  Make a Family Recipe

  Strengthen your family connections and forge a stronger family identity by reaching out to your relatives. Host a reunion or small gathering and make a special recipe handed down from previous generations. Then, before your celebration is over, make sure each family member gets a copy of that treasured recipe. Encourage them to pass it along to other relatives too. Your effort creates a tangible link to the past, encourages a celebration of your shared identity, recalls memories, and strengthens family bonds. The beloved relatives who originally made that dish—perhaps even centuries earlier—may have long since passed on, but you can remember them whenever you make your family recipe.

  Bus It

  If you only have a couple of days in a city or town, go on a bus tour and let a professional guide show you the sights and tell you about what you’re seeing. That kind of informed introduction to an area can help you decide which sites you would like to see more of as well as which areas don’t interest you—then you won’t waste your precious vacation time wandering around looking for interesting things when you could go straight to them and enjoy yourself.

  Attract the People You Want in Your Life

  If you are seeking loyalty and trust in your friendships or in a romantic relationship, first cultivate those qualities within yourself and then demonstrate them to others—in doing so, you become a magnet for exactly what you want. Similarly, if you seek a gentle, loving person as a life partner, avoid someone with a mercurial, volatile, or temperamental nature. Although opposites do sometimes a
ttract, you’ll most likely be happiest with a kindred spirit.

  Clear Your Desk Every Day

  Time management experts say that a clean desk is important for several reasons. You work more efficiently when you know where your documents and tools are at all times, for example, rather than if you have to search through piles of disorganized material to find them. A clean desk signals to clients and others that you’re probably an organized person with efficient and effective work habits. That inspires confidence! So get yourself whatever tidying supplies you need: garbage bags, filing boxes, manila and hanging folders, labels, organizers . . . and then get to work and join the ranks of happily organized workers.