Week 23

*For explanation of The Happiness Experiment" go HERE .*


Last week's secrets:
Keep your family close.
Eat some fruit every day.


Secret #45
Enjoy what you have.


"People who are satisfied appreciate what they have in life and don't worry about how it compares to what others have. Valuing what you have over what you do not or cannot have leads to greater happiness."


I can see how just being grateful for what you have can make you happier. I think in the long run, when you are happy with what you have, everything you get after that can only make you happier. Have "An Attitude of Gratitude".


"People who have the most are only as likely to be happy as those who have the least. People who like what they have, however, are twice as likely to be happy as those who actually have the most."


Secret #46
Think in concrete terms.


"We need to be able to measure our progress, to know that things are improving. You can't accomplish an abstract goal, because you'll never be sure if you're finished or not."


Is anyone else noticing a trend in this book? Setting goals with a purpose and sticking to them seem to be very important to your happiness. Goals like "Run more" or "Be a better parent" aren't goals that can actually be accomplished. But goals like "Run 2 times a week" or "Play a board game with the kids every Sunday" are goals that have direction and lead you the way you want to go. And when you accomplish a goal your confidence and happiness improve.


"Perceptions that life is meaningful, and therefore worthwhile, increase 16 percent with concrete thinking."


Review:
Enjoy what you have.
Think in concrete terms.