Here it is: the third installment in this five-part series. Enjoy!
Introduction
An extensive study on happiness has uncovered clear and simple strategies that happy people put to work in their lives, allowing them to experience more moments of daily joy and more lasting fulfillment throughout their lives. This compelling research on human well-being was gathered and reported in a recent project in Great Britain for the “Foresight Programme” [http://www.bis.gov.uk/foresight]. The evidence collects under five headings for “Here’s How to Activate Happiness” in your life: Connect, Get Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give.
Part Three: Take Notice
Happiness depends on your ability to Take Notice. This concept is the most thought-provoking of the five to me because the heart of it reaches way beyond the clichés like “Stop and Smell the Roses” that we’ve used to define it.
Taking Notice means savoring the feelings and sensations of your Here-and-Now. Evidence shows that happy people pay attention to and live in active awareness of The Present. Humans experience the greatest level of happiness by living “in the moment,” paying attention to the people, places and things around them and, in reflection, considering their value and meaning to them personally.
Research confirms that self-awareness and authentic change go hand-in-hand. What this means is that happy people who live with abundant joy and deep fulfillment aren’t immune to trials and tribulation; they just make deliberate, sometimes moment-to-moment choices to stay focused on the positive and what’s affirming and wonderful about their lives. Now, try to resist another cliché: “Oh, they’re good at turning lemons into lemonade.” Synthesizing pain and moving forward isn’t anything like stirring up a fruity drink, that’s for sure. Thoughtful, deeply contented people who live essentially joyous lives take notice of the world and what they’re feeling and, using their intense self-knowledge, choose to appreciate what matters to them.
If you’re captivated by this strategy as I am, you may enjoy delving in a little deeper. Let me encourage you to read about mindfulness and its role in positive psychology in Martin Seligman’s book Authentic Happiness or Tal Ben-Shahar’s book Happier.
Striving to Be Present,
Doctor Mell
Stay Tuned: Next Blog is Part Four: Keep Learning
