S i m p l e    Q u e s t i o n:

W H A T      M A K E S     Y O U     H A P P Y ?

A good Cigar

Some fine music 

Adult Beverage

A Book

A Beautiful Outside Setting

?               ?               ?               ?               ?

Not for everyone, huh?

Is there that overwhelming

100%

slam-dunk

one-size-fits-and-pleases-all

solution to

W          O          R          L          D

or

p e r s o n a l

H            A            P            P            I            N            E            S            S

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.       .        .

the answer might not

uhhhh make yoiu

h          a          p          p          y.             .             .

Maybe it’s just being overemphasized;

Did you know that

H A P P I N E S S

has it’s own it’s own

h     o     l     i     d     a     y ?

Just a few years ago

The General Assembly of the United Nations

proclaimed MARCH 20

to the be the

International Day of Happiness.       .       .

Oops.          .          .

I missed it;

I didn’t celebrate.          .          .

But it is easy to see why

H A P P I N E S S

is worth celebrating:

Happy people are healthier;

they get sick less often

THEY     LIVE     L O N G E R

Happy people have better realtionships

more friends

make more money

are more productive at work.     .     .

Based on decades of research

it’s become very clear

that Happiness is not just a personal issue;

it’s a matter of public health,

global economics

and natural well being

B           U          T

it’s subjective, isn’t it?

THE   GREATER   GOOD   SCIENCE   CENTER

(Yes, it really does exist–Google it)

They simply recommend through

S   C   I   E   N   T   I   F   I   C        S   T   U   D   Y

ACKNOWLEDGE    THE    GOOD

(WRITE DOWN 3 THINGS A DAY YOU ARE GRATEFUL )

ADD    HAPPINESS   THROUGH   SUBTRACTION 

(GIVE IT UP PRACTICE–GIVE UP WHAT YOU REALLY LIKE JUST FOR A LITTLE BIT OF TIME SO YOU CAN APPRECIATE IT EVEN ALL THE MORE)

FIND MEANING AND PURPOSE

(TAKE PICTURES OF PEOPLE AND THINGS THAT ARE MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND LITERALLY JOURNAL FOR 15 MINUTES A DAY JUST ABOUT YOUR IDEAL FUTURE AND WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE)

USE   YOUR   STRENGTH

(PICK ONE OF YOUR STRENGTHS AND USE IT EXCLUSIVELY IN A NEW AND DIFFERENT WAY FOR A WEEK AND THEN ANOTHER AND THEN ANOTHER. . . )

CONNECT     WITH     OTHERS

(JUST DO FIVE RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS A DAY–NOT OVER A WEEK, BUT A DAY FOR A WEEK; STUDIES SHOUT THAT WHEN YOU DO–GIVE–IT SIGNIFICANTLY MAKES YOU HAPPIER)

WHAT      REALLY     MAKES     YOU     HAPPY ?

It’s different for everyone

T       H       A       N       K       F       U       L       L       Y  

QUICK  ANSWER:

WHATEVER   FEEDS   YOUR   SOUL

but you’ve got to

ACTUALLY  FEED  YOUR  SOUL

it won’t happen

through osmosis 

IF HAPPINESS IS A TRAIN

YOU DON’T HAVE TO RIDE THE CABOOSE

OR JUST BE A PASSENGER

WATING TO GO TO THE DINING CAR

ENGINEER THAT TRAIN

AND TOOT-TOOT YOURSELF DOWN THE TRACK 

NOT TO HAPPINESS

BUT TO YOUR

S E V E N T H     H E A V E N 

SEE YOU AT THE STATION!

CHOOO-CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!