Would you have known? on March 20 was the International Day of Happiness which was established by the United Nations in 2012. It´s supposed being celebrated throughout the world every year on this same day.
Hm? Were you celebrating it? Were you, your friends, colleagues, or team members happier, because it was the International Day of Happiness?
Well, unfortunately most likely many of us were not. And one might also wonder, if there aren´t more important things the UN and other institutions should focus on. Have those happiness preachers not realized that today´s world is confronted with more serious topics: Wars, civil conflicts, income disparities, social inequalities, environmental issues, etc. Can we just "smile away“ all of those major risks? And what about our own daily chores and challenges? Let´s be a little bit happy and all will be good? Are you kidding?
I guess you get my point! We can act sarcastically by arguing against the word and the concept "happiness.“ Alternatively, and that´s more the approach I favor, we can be positive, audacious, and open-minded about its broader meaning and purpose.
The way I´d like to define happiness has nothing to do with daydreaming, trying to escape reality, or seeing life through rose-colored glasses. In fact, I consider happiness and the well-being of people as a fundamental human right. The pursuit of happiness is a beautiful goal to strive for. And it should become one of our main objectives in life. Well aligned with, and not hiding behind, economic growth and social responsibility.
NEVER GIVE UP on YOUR DREAMS
The International Day of Happiness should remind organizations and individuals to look for ways to raise the awareness about the importance of happiness. And to assist yourself and others in becoming happier.
Governmental and non-governmental organizations as well as every one of us should make a contribution through education, training, coaching, or awareness-raising activities. It´s worth it! Numerous studies have shown that happy people are healthier, more confident, more creative, more dynamic, more productive, more satisfied, more powerful, and more resilient. As such, creating happy and meaningful lives does counteract depression, fear, ruthlessness, frustration, and crime.
Recent research proves that a vast majority of people would prefer to live in a society with the greatest happines rather than the greatest wealth. The Kingdom of Bhutan designed the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH) to measure quality of life and social progress in a more holistic manner than only the economic indicator of gross domestic product (GDP). The country´s Gross National Happiness Commission is charged reviewing policy decisions and allocation of resources by putting also emphasis on the well-being of its people. Another alternative metric is the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) which also takes fuller account of the health of a nation by incorporating environmental and social factors which are not measured by GDP.
HOW TO MAKE HAPPINESS YOUR PRIORITY
Below are my favorite techniques to reclaim and strengthen happiness:
Practice Mindfulness: Live your life with more depth, contemplation, and sincere contentment. Focus on yourself and do not compare yourself with others.
Think Happy: Thoughts create feelings. And feelings behavior. Positive behavior and smiling attracts more positivity. This re-stimulates happy thoughts.
Surround Yourself With Happy People And Nurture Relationships: A beautiful trigger of happiness!
Treat Yourself Well: Spoil yourself. Respect and love yourself. Do more of what you really love and spend more time with loved ones.
Catch And Memorize Great Moments: Put the bad ones aside. Slow down to enjoy the joys of life. Write them down and read them whenever needed.
Be Active And Take Care Of Yourself: Go outside, go for a walk, do sports, etc. Learn new things. Stimulate yourself. Challenge yourself.
Set Meaningful, Achievable Targets: Be committed and take one step after another.
Help Others And Be Generous: Practice acts of kindness and learn to forgive.
YOUR MISSION: RECLAIM HAPPINESS NOW!
You can start immediately by making yourself and others happy when following below-listed three, easy steps:
- Look through your photos now to find a picture of something that made you happy
- Next time something makes you happy today, take a picture to capture the moment
- Inspire others to find happiness by sharing your pictures with #happinessday and/ or mailing them to your partner, a friend, colleague, etc. Use your pictures to remind yourself and others of what really matters.
Finally, let´s enjoy "Happy" by Pharrell Williams:
From now on celebrate every day your personal happiness day. And help others getting there!
Happy regards,
Andreas von der Heydt
*****
Andreas von der Heydt is the Country Manager of Amazon BuyVIP in Germany. Before that he hold senior management positions at L'Oréal. He´s a leadership expert, executive coach and NLP master. He also founded Consumer Goods Club. Andreas worked and lived in Europe, the U.S. and Asia.