GJEMK

Catchy, right?  I think if LMFAO can get away with it, so can I.  I read an article in Forbes today that got me thinking about happiness.  Because we all say we want to be happy, but so many of us say it as if it’s a future project, a “someday” prospect, rather than a present-day reality.  Hence the appeal of this article: it promises that happiness is just five simple daily steps, and in twenty-one days, voilà, you will be visibly, noticeably, actually happy.  This I have to see.  I started yesterday.

• Gratitude.   What are two or three things you are grateful for today?  No cheating, they can't be the same things every day.  A friend says that she thinks of what she is grateful for that day “before she puts her feet on the floor.”  More wisdom here and here.    

• Journal.  Take two minutes and write down a happy experience you’ve had.  I’ve read that writing with a pen/pencil and paper actually implants information more deeply and well in the brain for recall later than any sort of typing.  This makes sense to me, given the hand/eye/brain connection and the actual effort involved in forming the letters and applying pressure and control to writing.

• Exercise.  Everyone knows about endorphins by now, I have to think.  They’re that lift, that thrill, if you will, that getting the blood pumping quickly through the heart with even fifteen minutes of exertion a day brings.  That’s less time than we all spend waiting in line daily.

• Meditation.  The article asks for two minutes of deep breathing (no list-making!).  Anyone can spare two minutes.  My other favorite two-minute deal is that if you can accomplish whatever the task is—say sorting the junk mail from the bills—then do it right now so you don’t have to spare another thought for it.  But that’s not meditating; no fair double-tasking (and studies say we’re not nearly as good at that as we think anyway, that timed studies show it’s best to do one thing at a time).

• Kindness.  AKA Pay It Forward.  Take another two minutes and do a kindness for another soul on this planet today.  Your karma will thank you.

And that’s it—simple!  Happiness, solved.  I’ll let you know in twenty-one days, give or take a few.  I may be smiling too much to remember to post ;)

http://www.fastcompany.com/1756861/happiness-gratitude-generosity-sincerity