How to Make Happiness Happen

Here it is, the second part of a series of happiness tips from Andy Cope, happiness expert and co-author of The Little Book of Emotional Intelligence: How to Flourish in a Crazy World. (Check out the first part of the series here.)

8 | Write a list of the top 10 happiest moments of your life and you’ll realise that most of the things on the list are ‘experiences’ rather than ‘products’. Set your stall out to have more experiences.
9 | Instead of asking your partner/kids ‘how was your day?’ change the words and ask (with enthusiasm), ‘what was the highlight of your day?’ Then listen with genuine enthusiasm.
10 | Walk tall and put a smile on your face (not an inane grin or you’ll scare people). Your brain will immediately think you are happy and you’ll feel a whole lot better.
11 | Change your aim. Stop setting your sights on ‘getting through the week’ or ‘surviving until my next holiday’. Raise your game. Set your aim to ‘enjoy the week’ or ‘to inspire people’.
12 | Write down your top 5 personal strengths. Be aware of them and start seeing opportunities to play to them more often.
13 | Watch out for the 90/10 principle. This states that 10% of your happiness depends on things that happen to you while a whopping 90% depends on how you react to these events. Make a conscious choice to be positive.
14 | When setbacks occur, ask yourself, where is this issue on a scale of 1 – 10 (where 10 is death). If it is death, you are allowed to feel down. Anything else, get over it.

Stay tuned for 3. In the meantime, check out artofbrilliance.co.uk for more information on Andy’s work.