There is increasing evidence that gratitude boosts happiness. An effective means of showing your gratitude is to write a letter to someone who has made a positive difference to your life. This is your opportunity to thank them and let them know the impact they made on you. Send the letter if you can, or even better, read it to them.

Practise your determination. Make yourself keep going, even when you don’t want to. Keep trying and trying, noting what you are learning about yourself and others along the way. Maintain a belief of optimism that things will get better, or turn out okay.  Make sure your thoughts are not self-defeating and ignore the cynicism of others.

Happy Happiness Day!

Today’s your chance to learn a bit more about what it is to be happy and how to go about it. If you browse through my website you will see plenty of articles and tips that you can use in your everyday life to make small changes towards a happier, more fulfilled life.

Whilst you are here, take the opportunity to download the free ebook: 50 Ways to Increase Your Happiness.

Choose a tip that interests and see how you get on. Even better, share your happiness learnings with others. Talking happiness with others makes a change from the typical discussion of the awful happenings in the world, or the lives of the people you know. It will help give a new perspective.

If you want more, then you may like to read Promoting Happiness, where you will go on your own happiness journey, starting with your past, then moving into the present, hopefully giving you the tools for a greater future.

Have a happy day.

Best wishes

Julia

If you have read Dan Gilbert’s Stumbling on Happiness, you will know that people are not good at predicting their future happiness, nor remembering how happy (or not) they were in the past. They also struggle to believe that they will feel better about an event – unable to see beyond the bad feelings they are experiencing right now.

Starting today, keep a journal of your achievements. Small things, as well as the grander successes. Keep track of what’s going on in the here and now, as well as leaving space to record achievements from your past. When you have a low moment, be sure to take out your journal and read through it, reminding yourself how great you really are.

I was doing an exercise video the other day that at the end I realised it was ten years old. I found myself wondering what the people in the video were up to now. Were they still exercise advocates or had they let themselves go? Was life good for them? Which then got me thinking about the rest of us.
If you were in a video ten years ago, would you recognise that person today? Do you still follow similar routines? Have your habits changed? How’s your confidence? Are things better …

In my book, you have an opportunity to review and reflect on your past successes and achievements. Towards the end, I ask: “what one thing are you most proud of?”. The reason I mention this is because on the day the proof copy of my book arrived, I opened it up to read this very question. My answer had to be that very moment. Standing there with a book I had written – with my name on it! I could not recall feeling prouder of something I had achieved.
Interestingly, from …

How resilient do you think you are?  How easily do you bounce back when bad things happen? Do you think you would manage if disability or serious illness were to come your way, or do you think you would buckle under the misery and give up on life? People sometimes say ‘I don’t know what I would do if’. But people do manage, somehow life goes on and for some their life is more satisfying and meaningful than it was previously. You are probably more resilient than you think you …

Did you enjoy your last birthday? Was it a time of celebration, or something you dreaded, knowing that another number was being added to your age? If you want to be happy in your life and with your life, then you are going to have to accept one indisputable fact: you are getting older.
Why do some people hate celebrating their birthdays, cringing as another number gets added to their age? Women especially become more and more reluctant to say their age as they get older. They may even lie about …

If you want to increase your happiness, one way is through nurturing your character strengths. Positive psychology has identified 24 strengths which can be divided into 6 distinct virtues. In this article I will talk about the strengths which make up the virtue ‘transcendence’: appreciation of beauty, gratitude, hope, spirituality and playfulness and humour. In addition, I offer tips to help you develop each strength.
Appreciation of beauty and excellence
People with an appreciation of beauty and excellence find pleasure in the beauty of the world around them. This pleasure will be …