Feeling down by the grim news everyday?

Here’s an antidote to feel better despite the turmoil – applying the principles of happiness to whatever you are doing, so you can enjoy it and overcome feelings of stress. There are 12 principles of happiness described below.

Keep them in mind every day and regularly apply them. One good way to do this is to copy them onto a list you look at each day. Then, as you put them into practice, they will become a habit, so you enjoy every day, no matter what happens. This approach to life will also help you get rid of any fears and other negative feelings about your work and future.

1. Cultivate love, often called the “root of happiness” and the opposite of fear. To this end, remind yourself to experience and express appreciation for your work, friends, and significant others. Focus on what you have now or will have, so you feel gratitude, not on what you don’t have or used to have, causing you to feel a sense of loss.

2. Be optimistic by letting go of any painful experiences and thinking about how to learn from any difficulties you encounter. Optimism can also help you overcome any regrets for the past and lead you to feel confident about the future.

3. Cultivate courage by embracing challenges to overcome your feelings of fear.

4. Remind yourself that you have the freedom to choose whatever the situation is. If you feel stuck at any time, think of the different ways you can remake yourself and do something different; consider how to adapt your skills to respond to the economic situation today.

5. Be proactive to shape your own destiny, rather than waiting for other people or events to make you happy. Think about what you can change or do differently to reshape what you are doing now.

6. Gain security by liking and accepting who you are, so you have an inner sense of assurance, since everything else in life changes. Look for security from within, not from money, popularity, or other outer attributes.

7. Work on being in good health, because you need to feel healthy to be happy, while feeling happy will contribute to your good health.

8. Embrace spirituality, whereby you are open to experiences beyond your everyday life, whether as part of a particular religious faith or a general attitude towards the unknown. This sense of spirituality can help you feel secure and give you a feeling of strength and purpose, so you are better able to deal with whatever difficulties you encounter in life.

9. Embrace and express altruism, since you will gain great satisfaction by giving to others and feeling connected to them; it will help you have a sense of purpose. By contrast, self-absorbed people are generally not truly happy.

10. Cultivate a sense of perspective, so you can better distinguish between big and small problems and prioritize what is more and less important – a way to put current difficulties into a larger context. For instance, consider current economic uncertainties as a time of change preparing you to move on to newer more satisfying work.

11. Regard whatever happens with a sense of humor, which will help you lighten up and move past current difficulties.

12. Have a sense of purpose, which will give meaning to your life. This way, you will feel satisfied that you are doing what you were meant to do.

Now that you know the 12 happiness principles, think about how to apply them in your work and life. If you find you are already using many of these principles, now pay attention to how and when you are using them, so you appreciate yourself for what you are already doing – an example of the first principle: love, whereby you show self-appreciation.

For more insights on how to be happy, you can see some chapters from my books Want It, See It, Get It (www.wantitseeitgetit.com).

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Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D. is the author of over 50 books and a seminar and workshop leader, specializing in work relationships and professional and personal development. Her latest books include Want It, See It, Get It and Enjoy! 101 Little Ways to Add Fun to Your Work Everyday, both from AMACOM. Gini’s Websites are: www.workwithgini.com and www.ginigrahamscott.com.

     

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