Let’s Make A Plan To Keep This Happiness Going

It is hard to believe it has been 30 days since we started this Happiness Challenge together. We covered a lot of ground and if you followed along with the tips I shared and made an effort to improve your mood, your gratitude, and your joy, I’m sure you’re seeing a lot of progress and growth.

Let’s take a minute and look back at everything we’ve covered so far this month:


1. Welcome And Why Happiness Is A Choice You Make Every Day

2. Make A Commitment To Cultivating Happiness

3. What Makes You Happy?

4. Start Your Day With Gratefulness

5. The Connection Between Doing Stuff And Happiness

6. Stress Kills Happiness – Easy Ways To Destress

7. Happiness and Exercise

8. We Crave Human Connections

9. Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff – Savor It

10. Finding Happiness in a Sea Of Sadness or Overwhelm

11. Fighting Against Our Brain’s Bias To Negativity

12. Build A Support System of Happy People Around You

13. Why Getting Enough Sleep May Be The Key To Happiness

14. Boost Your Confidence And Become Happier

15. Make It A Point To Make Someone’s Day

16. When All Else Fails, Fake It

17. Keep A Journal To Practice Gratitude And Happiness

18. Learn To Deal With Negative Thoughts and Emotions

19. Live In the Moment

20. Think & Communicate In Positive Ways

21. Giving Back Makes Us Happier

22. Meditating Your Way To A Happier You

23. Trade Things For Experiences (travel instead of more stuff)

24. Happiness In Simplicity – Declutter Your Life And Your Mind

25. Stop Complaining. Take Action.

26. How Good Nutrition Can Help Your Mood

27. Sometimes You Need To Treat Yourself And Spend Some “Me” Time.

28. Happiness Is Contagious

29. Are You Noticing A Difference?

I hope you’ve been following along and enjoyed this happiness challenge. It’s amazing what will happen when you start to pay attention to how you feel and do what you can to increase your happiness and that of those around you. I hope you have found some tools, techniques, tips, and ideas that have helped you increase the joy in your life.

Where do you go from here? You keep implementing and continue to practice being happy regularly. Remember the Happiness Journal I talked about back on day 17? It’s an excellent tool you can use to keep yourself on track.

Keep coming back to these posts as needed. It may not be a bad idea to bookmark this post as a quick reference tool. Above all, keep learning, keep smiling, and keep growing your joy and happiness.

Optional – announce another 30 Day Challenge coming soon. Head on over to PiggyMakesBank.com to see what email challenges and other PLR packs we have that can help you provide your engaged readers with fresh content.



As for me, here’s what I’m planning next for [insert blog url] – short description of what you’re planning next for your blog, announce a product launch etc.

Are You Noticing A Difference?

Throughout the past 28 days we’ve been talking a lot about happiness and what we can do to increase how we feel. We’ve talked about a huge variety of different things from how sleep, exercise and nutrition can affect our mood, to simple strategies like decluttering and practicing gratefulness.

Tomorrow I’ll give you a quick little review and we’ll make some plans to go from here. Today though, as this 30 Day Happiness Challenge is coming to a close, I thought it would be a good idea to take stock and see if intentionally focusing on being happier is making a difference. I know it has for me, but how about you? I hope you’ve been following along and giving the various ideas a try. One thing we talked about in the past is keeping a journal. At the time, the idea was to practice gratitude and paying attention to the good things about us by writing them down. That same journal is also a great tool to judge how you’ve been doing throughout this challenge. Compare the earlier entries to the last few, or even how you’re feeling now. Hopefully you’re seeing some great improvements.

It’s important to remember that we go through seasons in our lives. There are times that we are overall happier, and times that are more challenging and sad. It’s ok to go through those sadder phases. I mentioned in one of the posts in this challenge that it would be sad if we only experienced happiness. We need to sad to make the happy stand out more. Without the tough times it’s hard to appreciate the good ones. If you’re stuck in a tough time, that’s ok. Do what you can to make yourself and your loved ones get through it and then work on bringing the joy and happiness back into your lives.



More than anything else I hope this short little challenge is making you more aware of the beauty and joy around you. It’s so easy to get sucked into our everyday lives and troubles to a point where we miss the people and things that will make us happy. This challenge was designed to make you more aware of them and create new, positive habits that you will continue to carry forward from here on out. We’ll talk a little more about where to go from here in tomorrow’s wrap up post. For now, I hope this has made a difference to you and I’d love to hear how you’ve enjoyed it and what you’ve found particularly helpful. Leave me a comment, connect on social media, or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you.

Happiness Is Contagious

Here’s a fun fact. Did you know that happiness is contagious? You may not have realized that this is true, but I’m sure you have experienced it. Think back on a time when you were with a person that was experiencing pure joy. Kids are wonderful not only being completely happy, but also sharing and expressing that exuberant joy. If you’re around a small child that’s laughing, giggling, and having a grand time, you can’t help but smile along. Their happiness is making us happier because it is contagious – sort of like a yawn.

Since happiness can spread from person to person, we can use it to share our joy and excitement. Use it to make a difference in how happy you feel on any given day and don’t be afraid to spread it around.

Soak Up The Happy

When you’re having a rough day, cheering yourself up may be as simple as finding a happy person. Surround yourself with positive people who are good at sharing the joy. Find your own personal cheerleaders that you can call on when you need a little boost. While watching a comedy or happy movie may help, experiencing happiness in person seems to have a much bigger impact on how you feel. Go out there and soak up the happy.

Spread Happiness Around

Not only can you feed of the happiness of others, you can also start to spread it around. We talked in a previous post about how giving makes us happier than receiving. Along those same lines, sharing your happiness will benefit both you and those around you. If you are out there intentionally sharing your joy and excitement with those around you, you’ll create a positive energy that is contagious. You’ll start to notice your family and friends smile more, laugh with you, and have a good time.

Then something interesting happens. You start to feed off their positive vibes and happiness, increasing your own joy. Keep it going and you’ll create a spiral of happiness that keeps spreading far and wide. A simple smile or a shared laugh can change the mood of an entire group of people. That’s pretty powerful stuff.

As you interact with people, start to pay attention to the mood and be aware that feelings of both happiness and sadness can be contagious. Use what we’ve talked about in this post to your advantage and where appropriate, change the mood in the room by sharing happiness. You don’t have to be exploding with joy to make a difference. Instead, take a moment to focus on a happy memory, or think on what you’re grateful for. Then show and share the happiness you’ve created and watch it travel around the room. Smile, have an encouraging conversation, become a cheerleader and work towards making the world a happier place.

Sometimes You Need To Treat Yourself And Spend Some “Me” Time.

We lead busy lives and have all sorts of obligations as parents, professionals, and friends. It’s easy to lose yourself in everything that has to be done in any given week. While it’s great to give and spend lots of time with loved ones, there is a time and place when you should slow down and get a little selfish.

Sometimes you need to treat yourself and spend a little “me” time. Don’t feel guilty about it. In the end, it will make you a better parent, a better colleague, and a better friend. We all need to recharge and we need to do something just for ourselves on a regular basis and it doesn’t have to be complicated.

If taking time for yourself to do something that you enjoy and that relaxes you isn’t something you’re doing right now, figure out what you may want to do. Maybe it’s reading a good book or watching your favorite TV show. Maybe it’s getting back into a hobby you used to enjoy. Maybe it’s taking a nap. Maybe it’s a simple as having 10 minutes to sit by yourself and think, or thumb through a magazine.

Your first task is to find out what it is you want to do for yourself. Time to do what you enjoy is always a favorite. It doesn’t have to be a lot of time and it doesn’t have to involve anything complicated. Sure, a trip to the beach by yourself for a week would be great, but if that’s not an option, curling up on the couch with a nice cup of tea and a good book will do.

Treating yourself to a new haircut, a pretty dress, a new gadget, or something that will help you enjoy your hobby more is another great option. Or keep it super simple, and pick up a favorite treat that you don’t have to share while you’re out doing the grocery shopping.

The point I’m trying to make is that it’s ok to treat yourself and do something for the sole purpose of making you happy. While a piece of fancy chocolate may not seem like that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, treating yourself well, and caring for yourself can have a huge impact on the rest of your day and how you treat those around you. Give it a try. Do something nice for yourself and watch your happiness levels go up.

How Good Nutrition Can Help Your Mood

It is interesting to learn how much the food we eat can affect our mood. I think it’s no accident that since the advent of lots of processed food with added sugar in the Western diet, depression and other mood disorders have dramatically risen. We look for ways to increase happiness in a variety of different ways when the simplest solution may be to change what we eat. Let’s look at a couple of key ingredients and nutrients that have been shown to directly affect our mood.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

I’m sure you’ve heard about this fatty acid that’s found in fatty fish and certain seeds and nuts. There’s another fatty acid called Omega 6 and from what I’ve read there’s an important balance between omega 3 and omega 6 that needs to happen. If you end up with way more omega 6 than omega 3 (which is often the case in a diet that consists of lots of processed foods), one of the side effects is depression.

Vitamin D

We then to get the blues more in winter when we can’t get outside and get some sun. A big reason for this drop in mood is a lack of vitamin D. With the advent of strong sunscreen and a global health policy that warns us of sun exposure and cautions us to cover up or wear sunscreen, it’s no wonder that vitamin d deficiency has become major problem that also happens to negatively affect our mood.

B Vitamins

Being happy takes energy and a key ingredient in making sure we get the energy we need from our foods are B vitamins. This whole group of micronutrients is crucial in how energized we feel. Make sure you get plenty to feel your best.

Magnesium

Last but not least let’s talk about magnesium. This is starting to become more and more of an issue as our soils are magnesium depleted and less of this mineral makes it into our food. Lack of magnesium can cause insomnia and I don’t have to tell you how important a good night sleep is to your overall well-being.



While you may want to consider supplementing with some of these nutrients to quickly fill the gap your diet is leaving, a much better long-term strategy is to work on cleaning up your diet. The more processed foods you can cut out and replace with fresh fruits and vegetables, quality meats, and healthy fats the better. In other words, eat a healthy diet made up of real foods and you’ll start feeling better.

Stop Complaining. Take Action.

Since starting this 30 Day Happiness Challenge here on the blog and via email, I’ve been a lot more aware of the happiness of the people around me. I’m sure you’ve experienced the same thing. It is causing me to look at people more closely and pay attention to their actions, their feelings, and how that seems to correlate. It’s been interesting and has given me some fresh perspectives on this whole happiness thing.

Something that’s stood out in the past few weeks is that the people that seem the most unsatisfied with their life and the least happy are the ones that spend a lot of their time and energy complaining. I’m sure you have a few of those people in your life as well. They are too busy talking about how horrible their life is that they don’t have any time left to do something about it. Or maybe they’d rather complain than change things. Either way, the solution seems to be simple. Stop complaining and start taking action.

We all have times when we complain about one thing or another. Sometimes we do it in our heads, sometimes we vent with a close friend or family member. We grumble, get it off our chest, and that alone makes us feel a little better. That’s fine, provided complaining isn’t all we do. Sure, there are times when we complain, feel a little better, and the situation resolves itself. But there are other times when things won’t get better and we won’t feel happier in the long run unless we do something.

If you’re not happy in your job, start looking for a different position or even change companies. If you’re not happy with your salary and it doesn’t give you the funds to do what you want in life, work towards that promotion, take some classes, and do whatever it takes to start earning more. If you are stuck in a relationship that makes you unhappy, work on it, or take the action to move on. If you’re not happy with how your kids are acting, work on your parenting skills, and work with your kids to make things better. If you’re not happy with the way you look and feel, start eating healthier and get outside for some fresh air and exercise.



It’s truly amazing how much you can shape your life for the better once you stop complaining and start taking action. What are you going to do today to make your life better and increase your long-term happiness?

Happiness In Simplicity – Declutter Your Life And Your Mind

In my last post I talked about how much focusing on experiences instead of things can help reduce stress and increase happiness. Today, I want to take that one step further and focus a little more on getting rid of things – both physical and mental. The idea is to find happiness in simplicity.

One of the reasons vacations are so relaxing is because we are away from most of our stuff and the responsibilities that come with it. You don’t have to worry about all sorts of projects and chores around the house and can just relax and enjoy the space you are in. You’re away from appointments, work, and being reachable. This allows you to focus on the people with you.

While we can’t replicate this feeling of vacation, what we can do is reduce the clutter in our lives and simplify things. This then allows us to focus on what’s important and what makes us happy. Here are some simple little ideas to help you start decluttering.

Decluttering Your Home

Let’s start with the simple stuff. There are tons of books, blog posts, articles and even TV shows about decluttering. While it isn’t easy, what it boils down to is to go through your home, one room or one area at a time and finding the things you no longer need or want. These can then be thrown out or given away. The idea is that in the end you are left with things you appreciate and a lot more clear space that’s more relaxing to live in and easier to keep clean and organized.

Decluttering Your Calendar
Next take a look at your calendar, or the activities and obligations in your life. Being busy makes us feel productive, but often the best use of our time is to cut out all the extra stuff that really isn’t necessary and doesn’t bring us joy. Don’t be afraid to be ruthless and even a little impolite at times. Feeling obligated shouldn’t be a good enough reason why you’re doing something. Get rid of it and then use the gained time to do things that help you relax, get ahead, and most importantly make you happy.

Decluttering Your Mind

Last but not lead it’s time to declutter your brain. It’s amazing how much “junk” we let build up in there. We all have this running list of things we should do, ideas for future projects, what to cook, what to shop for etc. What we don’t realize is how much brain power that kind of thinking takes up. The best way to deal with it is to do a “brain dump”. Get out a piece of paper and start writing it all down. Everything you have in your head that you think you need to remember from the book you want to read next and what to cook for dinner tomorrow, to the meeting you need to schedule at work. Write it all down. Don’t judge, don’t edit, and don’t try to organize it. All of that can come later. For now write it down to get it out of your head.

When you’re done notice how much lighter and happier you feel with each area of your life decluttered. While it isn’t the easiest thing to do, it is well worth it and something you should try to do regularly.

Trade Things For Experiences

We live in a material society where our main goal seems to be to acquire more stuff. We buy bigger cars, bigger houses, and of course, lots and lots of stuff to fill these houses. The idea is that we can buy happiness by buying more “stuff”. We’ve been living this way in the western world for quite some time. But are we really happier with all those material possessions?

More and more people are starting to feel that all this extra stuff weighs us down and adds to the stress we’re feeling. All these things have to be taken care of and with bigger houses and cars come bigger maintenance issues and repair costs.

In the search for happiness there is a new trend of owning less, and living simpler, more minimalistic lives. We see it in the trend towards minimalism, tiny houses, and in the success of books like “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”. There must be something to this idea of owning less and focusing less on buying and owning things.

Does this mean that to be happy we need to give away all our stuff and move into a tiny house or apartment? Of course not. But what it may indicate is that spending a little time decluttering and getting rid of some things can give us a feeling of breathing room and freedom.

It also means that instead of accumulating more stuff, we should try focusing on experiences. Instead of buying a fancy car, new furniture, or a new set of golf clubs, take that money and spend it on a fun family trip. Use it to spend quality time with your loved ones and make beautiful memories. Not only will you increase your happiness during the time you’re on vacation, you’ll also feel joy as you remember this trip and the time spent with your spouse and kids.

You don’t even have to go that far. Vacations are great, but we can’t take them all the time and they aren’t always practical. Think of spending quality time instead of buying gifts. Instead of buying another shirt or book for your mom or best friend, take her out on her birthday for lunch and some girl time. Instead of picking up another electronic gadget or tool, go hang out with the guys at the ballpark and cheer on your favorite team. Think experiences and making memories instead of buying more stuff.

Meditating Your Way To A Happier You

Stress is such a buzz kill. Nothing will bring you down quicker than feeling stressed out. It keeps you from sleeping well, staying productive, and getting in a good mood. It only makes sense than that reducing stress increases happiness. One of the best ways to bring your stress levels down and increase your joy is to mediate.

In addition to reducing stress and increasing happiness, meditation is good for your help, helps you practice self-awareness, and it strengthens your concentration. If you’re new to meditating, let me give you a quick primer on this ancient technique of clearing the mind.

Meditation is a state of thoughtless awareness. It’s reached by practicing meditating, until we can reach that state of mind easily and effortlessly. Along the way meditation will help us concentrate, contemplate, and gives us more control over our mind and our thoughts.

There are all sorts of different ways to practice mediation. Some will have you focus on your breathing, some will have you focus on your body. You can practice in complete silence, while listening to white noise or soft music, or you can work through guided meditations.

If you’re new to meditating, a simple guided meditation may be your best bet. There are plenty of recordings online, on YouTube, and even on apps. Some of them will be free, while others are paid guided meditations. Listen to a few of them until you find a mediation you’re comfortable with.

If you want to just give this a try without downloading or buying any guided meditations, give this basic meditation exercise a try. Start by laying down comfortably on your back. Have your hands on the side and relax. Close your eyes, and breathe naturally. Notice how the breath moves your body and try to focus on mind on each exhalation and inhalation. If you mind starts to wander, bring it back to your breath. Aim for a few minutes of meditation to begin with. Don’t feel bad if you find yourself nodding off. Meditation can be very relaxing and a great way to help you get to sleep.



With practice you will be able to mediate for longer periods of time. Experiment with techniques and lengths of mediation until you find your own routine that reduces stress, increases happiness and is something you can stick with for the long run. Keep meditating to keep up your happiness levels.

Giving Back Makes Us Happier

When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait for Christmas. It was all about the presents I would get. I’d spend days and weeks anticipating and trying to guess what Mom and Dad would get me this year. I’d make wish lists and circle things in toy catalogs. It was all about receiving material things.

As I’ve grown older, that has changed a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I still appreciate a thoughtful gift, but to be honest, most the fun at Christmas for me know is giving gifts. I find joy in the process of finding just the right gift, putting it in a pretty wrapper, and then seeing the eyes of the recipient light up when they open their present. And, of course, there is nothing more fun than watching the little ones squeal with delight on Christmas morning as they open the gifts under the tree.

There’s an important lesson to be learned here and that is that giving makes us happier. It isn’t just about physical gifts. Anytime we can give something, be it our time, a kind word, sound advice, or a hug, it makes us feel good to give back. Giving increases our own happiness.

It only makes sense then to focus on giving back more to help lead happier and more fulfilled lives. Think about the various things you can do to start giving back more. Volunteering is a great place to start and there are so many opportunities to do just that. You can help out at your child’s school or at the local church. Homeless shelters and soup kitchens are always grateful for an extra pair of hands. If you’re good with animals, help your local humane society to walk dogs and socialize kittens. Reading to patients at the hospital or people in a senior living facility is another wonderful way to give up.

If you’re not able to get out of the house much to volunteer, there are still plenty of opportunities to give back. If you’re crafty, knit some preemie caps for your local hospital or sew up some pet blanket for a local no-kill shelter. Help organize online events, or offer to virtually tutor kids who need homework help.



Start volunteering and giving back and notice how good it makes you feel. It instills a sense of pride and purpose in you and that in turn will help increase your overall happiness. Giving back to your community and family is a wonderful feeling that I hope you get to experience more.

Think & Communicate In Positive Ways

Some people are great about finding the positive in any situation and telling you about it. They are the types of bosses, coworkers, teachers, and friends who will give you some constructive criticism while pointing out everything you’ve done right, even if the project or situation turns out to be a total mess. They are the people that build you up and give you the confidence boost you need to go back and fix things or start from scratch.

Then there are people who can’t give a compliment without also pointing out your shortcomings. They tend to focus on the negative in any situation and are quick to share that with you. These people can be hard to live and work with. The big question is what type of person are you and how do you think and communicate about your life and your surroundings.

If increased happiness is your goal, I suggest you work on making sure you think and communicate in a positive way. Why is thinking important? Because it is how we communicate with ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather spend my time becoming my biggest cheerleader, than my worst critic.

Here’s the good news. How you think and how you communicate can be learned and unlearned. That means if you’re a bit of a pessimist right now, you can learn to think, be, and talk in a more positive way. Of course learned behaviors and habits aren’t always easy to change. Step one is that you have to want to change. Step two is to learn to recognize your behavior as it happens. Listen to the thoughts that are happening in your head and stop and make yourself think before you speak. Step three is to practice the new habit and behavior. And that’s really all there is to it.



Take a few minutes to reflect on how you have been thinking today. Think back on conversations you’ve had with others and get a feel for how you communicate with yourself and others. Are you as positive as you’d like to be, or is there room for improvement. If so, start implementing the simple three step process I shared with you and keep practicing until this more positive way of thinking and communicating has become a strong new habit. It will have a big impact in your own happiness and that of those around you.

Live In the Moment

One of the fastest way to stop any feeling of happiness in its track is to worry. We worry about things that haven’t happened yet, and we worry about things in the past that we can do nothing about. It’s sad to think about how many happy moments we are missing out on because we are too worried about the past or the future.

One of the solutions to living a happier and more content life is to learn to live in the moment. You don’t want to miss out on all the amazing little things life has in store for you because you are too busy worrying and agonizing about things that are outside of your control. The goal then for a happier life is to learn to live in the moment.

Start by simply paying attention to what’s going on around you right now. Enjoy the people you are spending time with. Treasure the conversations and interactions you have with them. Look around you and notice the beauty in your surroundings. Each season brings new natural phenomena that can help you stay in the moment and make you happy. Notice how the light filters through the colorful leaves on a crisp fall day. Treasure the first few green sprouts at the end of winter. Laugh with your kids and play in the first snow of winter. Bask in the sun and look at how the light plays over the water on a hot summer day. Each day, each season, and each year has amazing treasures to offer if you take the time to stay in the moment and notice them.

Slow down and don’t be afraid to stop and smell the roses. If you find yourself slipping back into your old ways of worrying about things you can’t change, remind yourself to stop and instead focus on something pretty in your surroundings. It doesn’t matter what it is. The idea is to train your mind to live in the moment instead of the past or the future.

Does this mean you have to stop all plotting and planning for the future? Does it mean that you shouldn’t look back on the past and learn from it? Of course not. Those are both important parts of life. There are times to plan a vacation, figure out what groceries we need for the week, or plot a move or job change in the future. Those are productive ways to look ahead. Along the same lines, there are times when we should look back on the past. Maybe we can right a wrong, improve on things, or if nothing else learn from them. That’s important as well. What isn’t important or productive is to dwell on the past or future events and worrying about things we can’t change. Whenever that happens stop yourself and focus on the present. It won’t take you long to get out of the habit of worrying about things outside of your control. That, in turn, gives you more time and energy to focus on what truly matters.

Learn To Deal With Negative Thoughts and Emotions

Life isn’t all happiness and sunshine. And that’s a good thing. How boring would it be to only have positive experiences? We need the negative, the sadness, and the disappointments to balance the happiness. They are what make the happy times stand out and shine all the brighter.

That being said, negative thoughts, emotions, and the events and people that cause them are part of life. We have to learn to deal with them and make the best of sad situations to live a happy and content life. Today I want to look at a few different ideas and strategies that can help us do just that.

Put Them In Perspective

Before you allow yourself to wallow in sadness, try your best to step back and look at the situation from a different perspective. Get some sleep, go out for a walk, and come back and look at it again. Try your best to see the positive side of things. Yes, there are undeniably sad and bad situations in our lives, but even so, most of them have a little flicker of something good in them as well. Find that positivity and hang on to it.

There are also a lot of times and situations where we focus too much on the negativity. A little distance, and a little perspective can show us that it’s not as bad as we originally thought.

Allowing Yourself To Be Sad At Times

There are also times when life just plain sucks. It’s ok to be sad. Don’t feel that you have to be happy 100% of the time. Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is to take the time to be sad and grieve. There is a lot of healing and coming to terms with things that can only happen when you let the sadness in. Feel it, so you can start to heal and recover. This will allow you to get back to the happier version of yourself.

Look On The Bright Side And Find Your Way Back To Happiness



To make sure that happens and you don’t spiral down into a hole of sadness, despair and depression, you have to look for the right side, or the little flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. Look for it, focus on it, and use it to find your way back to happiness. Maybe that little flicker of hope is simply that you’re not feeling quite as sad as you did yesterday. Or maybe it’s a call from a friend, or a neighbor dropping off a card. Grab on to it and use anything good and positive in your life to lead you back.

Keep A Journal To Practice Gratitude And Happiness

We’ve talked in the past about the fact that feeling grateful and acknowledging all the good things in our lives is a great way to increase our overall happiness. Getting in the habit of showing and experiencing more gratitude is a one of the most powerful ways to increase your feeling of happiness. 

It’s all good and well to resolve to feel more gratitude and become happier. Putting it into action is a little harder said than done. Thankfully there’s a simple little tool that will help you stay on track – a journal. A gratitude journal is a wonderful thing and something that can have a surprisingly big positive impact on your life. Best of all, you don’t need anything fancy. Grab a notebook and a pen, or if you prefer, boot up your computer and open up a word document. 

The idea is simple. Each day you want to write for a few minutes about the various things you feel grateful for. Think back on anything that made you happy throughout the day. By listing all the positive things in your life, you’re putting them into the forefront of your mind. That alone is bound to increase your mood and make you feel happier and more accomplished. 

Not only will your writing help you right away, as you compose each daily entry, you’re also creating a great memento of your gratitude and happiness journey. Pull out your journal, curl up on the couch and read through it whenever you need a little boost of happiness. Seeing, in black and white, how far you’ve come throughout the past weeks, months, and even years is truly amazing. 

As you start to read about the events and people that you felt grateful for in the past, you’re start to relive those memories, and with it those feelings. Think of your gratitude journal as a happiness battery. You’re storing your good feelings in an easy format that allows you to access and relive them on demand. What a powerful idea. 

In addition, writing and reading your gratitude journal regularly will help you form new positive habits. You’ll start to have a more positive outlook in life, and since the journal forces you to think of and find the things and people you’re grateful for in any given day, your brain will automatically start to look for the positive instead of the negative. It’s easy to see how that can have a beneficial impact on your life over time. 

If you’re ready to practice gratitude and work on increasing your happiness, start writing a journal. You won’t regret it.

When All Else Fails, Fake It

Here’s an interesting expression: “Fake It ‘Till You Make It”. You usually hear it in the business and show business world. The idea is that if you look like a success, others around you will treat you like a successful person and will send more projects and opportunities your way. At some point, the idea is that you can stop faking it because you’ve become what you’ve pretended to be. It sounds a little harsher than it is. Faking in this context isn’t as phony as it sounds. What you are really doing is modeling behaviors until you’ve internalized them. Once that happens, you will start to see results, because you’ve been working hard at exactly the types of things a successful person does. It only makes sense then that you start to see results.

The interesting thing is that this works in all sorts of different contexts. If you want to be a thin and fit person, start acting like one, eating the things they eat, working out, moving around more etc. After a few months of doing that, it’s no wonder that you’re starting to slim down significantly.

Since happiness is on my mind a lot during this project, I did a little research to see if the same concept could also work for feelings – including increasing a feeling of self-worth, wellbeing, and of course being happier. The good news is that it does. You really can fake happiness until your mood improves.

How To Start Faking Happiness

Faking happiness is a lot easier than you may think. You can start with nothing more complicated than smiling. A fake smile will do in a pinch, but if you can get your entire face, including your eyes involved. Give smiling your best effort, even if you aren’t feeling it.

After a bit of smiling, you should feel your mood start to increase. Remind yourself throughout the day to smile more for best results. When you’re ready to kick it up a notch, give laughing a try. Again, if there’s nothing funny going on, just start giggling and laughing. It has a profound impact on the body. Not only will it instantly lift your bad mood and make you feel happier, laughing has also been shown to increase your body’s ability to heal and it will improve your immune system.


Give it a try and start practicing faking happiness. You can smile and laugh at yourself in front of the bathroom mirror in the mornings. Then make an effort to smile more and laugh often as you go about your day. Not only will you notice your own happiness levels increase, you’ll also make a difference in those around you.

Make It A Point To Make Someone’s Day

Here’s an interesting exercise for you. Head out to do your errands, drive to work, or get to school and make it a point to make someone else’s day today. It could be something as simple as giving someone a big smile, have a meaningful conversation with a person who’s feeling a little lost or lonely, or it could be buying lunch for the homeless person on the corner. It doesn’t matter what you do, but do something today to make someone else’s day. 

How does that make you feel? It’s a pretty good feeling isn’t it? It seems that a big key to our own happiness lies in making people around us happy, and helping out. When you start to think about it, it makes sense, doesn’t it? We are social creatures who have to work together to truly thrive. It is only logical then that helping those around us has an internal rewards system built in. In other words, our happiness goes up as we improve the lives of those around us. 

A great strategy then to increase our own happiness is to cheer up those around us. Not only will it help make you feel better and happier, you also have to increase your own happiness and put that big smile on your face to be able to make someone else’s day. It’s hard to do this kind of stuff when you’re feeling sad and depressed. But those are the times you need to force yourself to do it the most. By simply doing that, you make your own mind increase the happiness you feel and that gets mingled with a feeling of pride for helping someone else. 

As with many of the other strategies we’ve been discussing about increasing your happiness, the key to making this work is to make it a habit. If it becomes well ingrained in your daily routine to make someone’s day as you go about living your life, you’ll automatically start to do it, even when (and especially when) you don’t feel like it. As you well know those are the times when you particularly need to do something to increase your own happiness and give yourself that little extra boost. 

Start by thinking about a few different little things you can do to make someone’s day. It doesn’t have to be anything big or complicated. Instead focus on small acts of kindness that you can do every single day. Bless your loved ones with this kindness, or complete strangers who look like they could use a little cheering up. Help someone unload groceries, fix a meal for a neighbor who just had a new baby, or bring your spouse coffee in bed when he or she is having a hard time. All these small acts of kindness will start to make a huge difference not just in you, but also the world around you.

Boost Your Confidence And Become Happier

Think back to some of the happiest times in your life. Chances are that these are also the days when you felt your most confident. Maybe you excelled at sports during that time, or you aced a project at work. Confidence can be a huge happiness booster. But why wait for something good to happen in your life? Why not work on boosting your self-confidence, which in turn will increase your feeling of happiness. 

There are all sorts of things you can do to boost your confidence. We’ll run through a few of them here. I also encourage you to read up on the topic, pay attention to times when you’re feeling more confident, and then work out a plan to intentionally boost your self-confidence based on your own research and experience. 

The problem with boosting confidence is that we tend to respond to different strategies, techniques, and events. Some of us thrive on words of encouragement, while others want to see results, or thrive on kind actions from others. Are you the type of person who puts more meaning into a kind word from your boss, a raise, or a promotion? Or how about some public recognition at the latest company meeting. We all have different confidence triggers and the trick is to figure out what yours is and how you can get more of those types of boosts. 

General confidence boosters include words of encouragement, seeing how far we’ve come, listening to some upbeat music, going out for a run, and dealing with failure in a positive way. Give each of those and any other interesting confidence boosting tip you come across a try. Then sit back and notice how much confidence impacts overall happiness. 

If you respond well to compliments and words of encouragement, call a friend or anyone else in your life who makes a great cheerleader. Get those positive verbal affirmations whenever you need a little boost. Keep a journal so you can look back and see how much progress you’ve made. This is particularly sound advice if you’re trying to change your life, your habits, or make progress on a long-term project. Being able to flip back and see how far you’ve come can be very encouraging. 

Cranking up some tunes, or heading outside for a little fresh air and exercise can be another great way to boost your confidence and your mood. Combine the two for even better results. Last but not least, let’s take a look at how to deal with failure. When things go wrong – and let’s face it, they will sooner or later – you can either allow it to bring you down and undermine your confidence, or you can look at it as a learning experience. Guess which view is better for your self-esteem? 

I hope you take these suggestions to heart and make an effort to work on your confidence. Not only will it make you a happier person, you also get more done, and become more successful in the long run.

Why Getting Enough Sleep May Be The Key To Happiness

Sleep is important for your health, well-being, and how alert you are. Not getting a good night sleep can impact your performance during the day. Chronic lack of sleep can cause all sorts of health issues and even weight-gain. It can also lead to depression. In other words, not getting the sleep you need makes you feel bad. 

On the flip side, making sure you get sufficient rest can help you feel more energized. You get more done which boosts your self-confidence and in turn your overall happiness. Making sure you get your beauty rest makes a lot of sense then. 

I’m sure you’ve seen this in action. When we don’t sleep well, or don’t get a chance to get enough rest, we end up grumpy and agitated. Our stress levels go way up which in turn makes us feel worse. We don’t get our work done, we start to feel depressed and that in turn leads to more sleepless nights. It’s a vicious cycle. 

If we can break that cycle and make sleep a priority on the other hand, everything changes for the better. We wake up in a great mood and ready to tackle the day. It’s easier to get work and chores done and still have time to relax and unwind. That in turn leads to a better night sleep and an even better morning. 

The big question then is how do we get to this state of sleep-full bliss and a solid 8 hours of rest at night? We do it by making sleep a priority. Yes, there are times in our lives (like the arrival of a newborn, for example), when getting a good night’s sleep isn’t a possibility for quite some time, but for most of us, working on a reasonable bedtime routine is not that hard to achieve. 

And routine is the keyword here. Good sleep is a habit and a learned behavior. It takes a little work on your part to change your habits and establish a good sleep and bedtime routine, but it will be well worth it. I promise. 

Start by setting a regular bedtime and do your best to stick to it – even on the weekend and holidays. Our bodies get in a rhythm of walking and resting hours. Help your body get there by staying on schedule. Spend some time in the hours before bed to relax and calm down. Stop working, don’t exercise too late in the day, avoid caffeine a few hours before bed, and turn off screens at least an hour before you’re ready to fall asleep. Turning down the lights, playing soft music, and reading an old-fashioned paper book are all great ways to relax and prepare both body and mind for sleep. Taking a warm bath or shower can help as well. 

If you’re still having a hard time going to sleep after implementing a routine, consider supplementing with magnesium and /or melatonin. A lack of either one of those substances in your body can make it much harder to fall and stay asleep. Stick with your routine and you will get into a habit of getting plenty of sleep. That in turn will lead to happier, more energetic and more productive days.

Build A Support System of Happy People Around You

Moods are contagious. If you’re around a bunch of sad and depressed people, you’ll start to feel down. If on the other hand you are in a group of happy people, you can’t help but start to smile. It makes sense then to surround yourself with happy people if you want your own level of happiness to increase. 

Does this mean that you should shut all people who aren’t super happy out of your life? Of course not. We all have important people in our lives whom we love and cherish even if they don’t have the sunniest outlook on life. Plus we all have happier, and sadder seasons in our lives. It would be horrible if we avoided loved ones during though times. 

Instead, what I suggest is that you take note of who the happy people in your life are. Who are your cheerleaders that will cheer you on no matter what and who will put a smile on your face anytime you spend time with them? Take note of those positive people, be their friends, family, or even just acquaintances. Build a support system of happy people that you can turn to when you’re feeling down. 

Along the same lines, you want to be careful about the negative and sad people around you and how they affect your own mood. When you’re having a hard time and are struggling with your own happiness levels, it may be better to avoid people that you know will bring you further down. Those are the times when you want to spend time with your team of cheerleaders, or your happiness support system. Again, this doesn’t mean that you need to completely shut people out of your life, just take note of their energy and how they affect you and spend time with them accordingly. 

When you are happy, don’t be afraid to share that happiness and spread it around. Smiling, laughing, and feeling good about life is contagious. Spread the joy and soak it up from happy people around you when you’re not feeling your personal best. Call up that friend that can instantly make you feel better, and talk to people around you who love and care for you about this idea of contagious happiness. Let them know when you could use some cheering up and then return the favor. Because, let’s face it, we all have times when we’re happier and in a much better mood than other days. Make it a habit to build each other up and create that happiness support system. It will make a huge difference in your life and those around you.

Fighting Against Our Brain’s Bias To Negativity

Have you noticed that negative comments and events stick with us much longer, and influence us more than positive ones? I’m sure you’ve experienced this quite a few times. A positive comment by your teacher for example is appreciated, but the effects wear off quickly. A negative comment on the other hand sticks with you much longer. Why is that? It’s because our brains have a bias to negativity. It’s measurable and there have been brain scan studies done that show that our brain reacts more strongly to negative stimuli. The big question then is how do we fight against our brain’s bias to negativity? 

What can we do to make sure negative remarks and criticism don’t get us down? The first step is that we realize that there is such a thing. This allows us to take each piece of negativity with a grain of salt. It can be incredibly helpful to acknowledge that our mind and heart may be overreacting about something negative. On the flip side, this knowledge also allows us to make it a point to savor the positivity. Don’t dismiss a compliment out of hand. Instead, savor it, think about it, and make it a point to remember it, and allow it to lift you up when negativity brings you down. 

Of course all of this is easier said than done. Since this bias to negativity is hard wired in our brains, it takes a lot of time and effort to build new, more positive habits. Remind yourself each morning that your mind is trying to force you to focus on the negative stuff and that it takes a conscious effort to balance it out by being mindful off all the good and happy things in our lives. 

Over time this will allow us to grow a thicker skin when it comes to unwarranted criticism. Should you ignore every single comment or suggestion that you don’t like? Of course not. There is such a thing as constructive criticism that helps us to grow and get better at what we do. What we need to guard against are the negative words, events, and feelings that make us go hide in a cave. We don’t want to encourage inaction in ourselves. Instead, we want to use the positivity around us to lift us up and help us make it through the tough times, get stronger, and get better at what we do. 

Reflecting on both the good and the bad on a daily basis can be a great exercise to help us gain a little distance and see everything that’s happening to us in a better light. Keep a journal or set aside some time for quiet contemplation. Talking things out with a friend, particularly when you’re struggling with something negative that you’ve having a hard time getting past is another great idea. Above all, do what you can to outweigh the negativity with the good stuff. Keep a box or file with some of the best positive emails and comments you’ve gotten. Peruse through them whenever you need to counteract something negative. As time goes by you’ll grow that that thicker skin that will protect you from your harshest critics.