What #100DaysOfHappiness Taught Me

On the 23rd September 2015 I realised we had 100 days left of the year and so I thought to myself, “What can I write and post about for 100 days that would be interesting, challenging and engaging?” Happiness was the first thing that came to my mind, so I began my #100DaysOfHappiness journey.

So, every day for 100 days I wrote something new and insightful about happiness! What a journey it was! Whether I was sharing my own thoughts, insights and experiences, or sharing images and quotes from revered creatives and leaders or quoting Harvard studies, psychologists and neuroscientists on the effect of happiness on performance and well-being, or whether I shared a video from www.mindvalley.com‘s (now considered one of the best places to work, globally) Founder and CEO on happiness in the workplace…every single day I focused on happiness…

What I knew already and what became more and more evident as the days went by, is that Energy Flows Where Attention Goes. It is after all a reciprocal universe…what you focus on, you will always get more of.

I share with you here just some of what I learnt on this journey…

What happiness isn’t…

• Happiness isn’t something just reserved for the hippies among us
• Happiness isn’t something that should wait til last
• Happiness isn’t intangible

What happiness is… (just a taster of the 100 happy posts)

• Happiness is an inside job, it is a conscious choice, through awareness of thought and behaviour. It is created not pursued.
• Happiness is starting your day early with intention, meditation, visualisation, affirmations, exercise, reading & journalling
• Happiness is having a Happiness Hero, (we are the sum of the 5 people we spend most time with…who is yours?)
• Happiness is consistency, discipline, integrity and focus…for therein lies freedom
• Happiness is having a dream to realise
• Happiness is self-reflection, self-responsibility, self-leadership & self-relationship…what I call #innerpreneurship
• Happiness is my No. 1 principle for success both personally and professionally
• Happiness is being present. It is being happy for this moment for this moment is your life
• Happiness is inner peace, personal power and an inspired purpose…it is direction, guidance and support
• Happiness is authentic appreciation and 21 second hugs…my almost 100 year-old Grandmother is testament to this
• Happiness is loving what is…and responding with gratitude
• Happiness is a collection of experiences…it is the journey not the destination…
• Happiness is a life of purpose and meaning, it is the only sane response to life
• Happiness is now also a science, it is the science of positive psychology…it is also your essence, your natural state of be~ing
• Happiness is transcendence…it’s our dream of what we might become

What I have come to realise is that happiness is #TheMissingPeace in most peoples’ lives and yet it is at our very finger-tips…it is our choice and our responsibility to ourselves; to our families, our relationships, our work. It is our essence and therefore our reason for be~ing. It isn’t anyone else’s job to make you happy…if you believe it is, you are giving the other person an impossible task.

• You choose happiness.
• You create happiness.
• You bring happiness to the table.
• Your happiness is your responsibility.
• Be happy because you choose to love what is…no matter the circumstances.

During the challenge I also invited people to dance to their favourite happy song every day to raise their vibration, and the feel-good endorphins into their system, as well as the chemicals we secrete when we’re happy…serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin (I won’t get all scientific on you here…but be sure to pump your blood stream with these each day, rather than with the stress-hormone, cortisol) by choosing happiness, by dancing, by exercising, by laughing, by hugging, by appreciating…whatever tickles your fancy!

Here’s my favourite happy song I danced to every day for 100 days:

I also invited people to write down three things they were both happy and grateful for every day and to put some happy reminders in their phones to set themselves up for success, several times a day.

In happiness,

Amy

Join me and my Be~ing Brilliant Community as we inspire, engage, and empower each other to lead life brilliantly and happily.

Image credit: http://www.euractiv.com/