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	<title>How To Find Happiness</title>
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	<link>http://howtofindhappiness.com</link>
	<description>Find happiness at work, at home, in life. Join the Revolution.</description>
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		<title>Everyone wants to be happy, but not everyone will be.</title>
		<link>http://howtofindhappiness.com/thehappygym</link>
		<comments>http://howtofindhappiness.com/thehappygym#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:56:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amelie Chance</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[be happy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[How to Find Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[positive psychology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://howtofindhappiness.com/?p=218</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here is why:

 
If I asked you what your life goals are, what would you say?
I&#8217;m going to take a guess at answers that 90% of us would respond with:

Find great love
Get a great job
Buy a nice house
Get married
Stay in great shape
Raise a lovely family
Enjoy my passions
Spend time with my friends
Be liked and loved
Attain my [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><h2><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong><a href="http://howtofindhappiness.com/files/2010/03/yourgoals1.jpg"></a>Here is why:</strong></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img title="be happy" src="http://howtofindhappiness.com/files/2010/02/happy_success_and_happiness-300x270.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="270" /></span></h2>
<p><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p>If I asked you what your life goals are, what would you say?</p>
<p>I&#8217;m going to take a guess at answers that 90% of us would respond with:</p>
<ul>
<li>Find great love</li>
<li>Get a great job</li>
<li>Buy a nice house</li>
<li>Get married</li>
<li>Stay in great shape</li>
<li>Raise a lovely family</li>
<li>Enjoy my passions</li>
<li>Spend time with my friends</li>
<li>Be liked and loved</li>
<li>Attain my dreams</li>
</ul>
<p>Now, imagine you are having a converation about having that great job with a 4-year old child. The conversation would probably go something like this:</p>
<p><strong>You:</strong> &#8220;I want to have a great job.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>4-year old: &#8220;Why?&#8221;</em></p>
<p><strong>You:</strong> &#8220;So that I can do what I love and earn a great salary.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>4-year old: &#8220;Why?&#8221;</em></p>
<p><strong>You:</strong> &#8220;So I can enjoy my life.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>4-year old: &#8220;Why?&#8221;</em></p>
<p><strong>You:</strong> &#8220;Because that will make me happy.&#8221;</p>
<p>The 4-year old child is extremely insightful. What we learn is that if we had the same conversation about any of your life goals, we would drill down to the same reason everytime: We do everything in life to find happiness.</p>
<p>If you were a nerd (like me), you&#8217;d plot it on a graph that looked like this:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="size-full wp-image-231 aligncenter" title="yourgoals1" src="http://howtofindhappiness.com/files/2010/03/yourgoals11.jpg" alt="" width="447" height="353" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://howtofindhappiness.com/files/2010/03/yourgoals.jpg"></a></p>
<h2><span style="color: #cc0000;">Then why aren&#8217;t we, as humans, happier? </span></h2>
<h2><span style="color: #cc0000;">One simple fact:</span></h2>
<p>Money, Love, &amp; Healthy <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">COMBINED</span></strong> can only increase your happiness up to <span style="text-decoration: underline;">10%.</span> That&#8217;s right, it has been scientifically determined that this is the case. We&#8217;re going to talk about the science in a second, but first, let me ask you:</p>
<p>What does it mean that those things <strong>only increase or decrease your happiness by 10%</strong>?</p>
<p>It means if you were rich, had the perfect mate, and were in terrific health, you would only be 10% happier than if you were poor, single, and in bad shape physically. Sound false? Well, when I put it that way, maybe it sounds false, but what about when you look around you at people chasing after these three things.</p>
<ol>
<li>Do you know anyone who has <strong>achieved financial success, yet is still unhappy</strong>?</li>
<li>Do you know anyone who is <strong>in a great relationship, but always seems to complain?</strong></li>
<li>How about someone who is a skinny minnie and <strong>in great health, but still miserable</strong>…sound familiar?</li>
</ol>
<p>I call these three people <strong>CHASERS. </strong>They chase happiness, but no matter what they chase, they come up short.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #cc0000;">I was a chaser.</span></h2>
<p>I was once ran a high-tech company with over 100 employees, I was married, had the house, the car, a great family, and I was&#8230;<strong>miserable</strong><strong>.</strong> <strong>I was a chaser</strong>. Always going after the next thing that I thought would bring me true happiness and when I reached it, I realized that the boost I felt was only temporary. I would always go back to that set level of happiness (my genetic set point) and I was mystified. How come all of the things we have deemed important in Western, and now frankly, Eastern societies was not making me happy???</p>
<p>Because, we as a global society, have been <strong>chasing the <span style="text-decoration: underline;">wrong things</span></strong>.</p>
<p>Let me rephrase, we have been <strong>chasing the wrong things</strong> and there is <strong>scientific data that has now</strong> <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">proven</span> this fact</strong>.</p>
<p>Ok, <strong>what is this science</strong> I&#8217;ve been constantly referencing?</p>
<p>There are a group of people that have been asking this same holy grail type question&#8230;what actually makes people happy? But instead of just asking the question, they have made it their life work to study it scientifically. These people are Positive Psychologists and they study the <strong>Science of Happiness</strong>.</p>
<p>Now, I know what you&#8217;re thinking and I need to tell you that Positive Psychology is <strong>not some mumbo-jumbo</strong><strong>-</strong>hippie-granola-new age trend. It is a Psychology which is a science. This science is based on theories. These theories are tested and supported by data. Positive Psychologists have tested tens of thousands of people for research and have spent tens of thousands of hours to determine some basic things like the fact that more money only makes us marginally happier.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #cc0000;">Here is the Truth about Happiness:</span></h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>The Truth!</strong> Money, love, and health ONLY affect our level of happiness by up to <span style="text-decoration: underline;">10%</span>. That means if some of these things in your life are not going as you have planned, it does not matter. You can still scientifically increase your happiness no matter what your life circumstance!</li>
<li><strong>The Truth!</strong> Goal setting is not just about reaching the goals you&#8217;ve set; setting the goals in and of themselves has tremendous benefit. You wouldn&#8217;t go on a roadtrip without a map and the same goes for life. Learning how to goal set will increase your happiness.</li>
<li><strong>The Truth!</strong> People who have an opportunity to use their <span style="text-decoration: underline;">strengths at work, home, or school everyday are much happier</span> than those that do not. The same goes for using your skills, talents, and creativity. You must take the assessments to identify your strengths and lean on them to increase your happiness!</li>
<li><strong>The Truth! </strong>Optimism can decrease your susceptibility for physical and mental weakness. Optimists view bad occurrences as temporary, specific, and often caused by external forces. These are signs of optimism and <span style="text-decoration: underline;">optimism can be learned</span>.</li>
<li><strong>The Truth!</strong> Gratitude exercises done in a <em>particular </em>manner can not only increase your happiness, it can decrease blood pressure, boost your immune system, and <span style="text-decoration: underline;">decrease situational depression</span>. The studies prove this!</li>
<li><strong>The Truth! </strong>It&#8217;s possible to be <span style="text-decoration: underline;">TOO happy</span>! I know it sounds ridiculous, but on a scale of 1-10, it is better to be an 8 so that you will continue to strive to be a 10. If you consider yourself a 10 in every aspect of your life, you may become complacent. If you think about this one, it may make your head spin. Keep going, the science will show you how to be optimally happy.</li>
<li><strong>The Truth!</strong> The percentage of our happiness that is passed on by genes has been scientifically determined to be only 50%. That means <span style="text-decoration: underline;">50% of our happiness is in our control</span> and we now have the exercises to take that control and make ourselves happier!</li>
</ul>
<h2><span style="color: #cc0000;">You know what else? It has been Scientifically <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Tested and Proven</span> that Happy people:</span></h2>
<ul>
<li>Live Longer</li>
<li>Get better jobs</li>
<li>Get paid more</li>
<li>Volunteer more</li>
<li>Have lower blood pressure</li>
<li>Less heart disease</li>
<li>Enjoy longer marriages</li>
<li>Achieve more of their goals</li>
<li>And much more</li>
</ul>
<h2><span style="color: #cc0000;">Ok, so Here is the Honking Truth!!!</span></h2>
<p>We are all chasing after the <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">same thing</span></strong>. Whether it be a better job, promotion, husband, wife, children, house, good health, money etc. it all boils down to one thing &#8211; we all want to find true happiness.</p>
<p>Positive Psychologists, have given us the true and<strong> </strong><strong>proven things that</strong><strong> </strong>make people happy<strong>.</strong></p>
<p>• The way we speak about the <span style="text-decoration: underline;">good and bad</span> events in our lives will increase our set level of happiness.</p>
<p>• Expression of gratitude can <span style="text-decoration: underline;">decrease blood pressure</span> and depression when practiced in a particular fashion.</p>
<p>• Job crafting including finding a job that uses <span style="text-decoration: underline;">your talents</span> can lead to a higher paying job and satisfaction</p>
<p>• Acts of Kindness can actually be <span style="text-decoration: underline;">extremely beneficial</span> for the one performing the act &#8211; that&#8217;s you!</p>
<p>The <strong>research is revolutionary</strong> and after spending 35 years chasing a smoke screen of happiness, I decided to join the revolution. I became a Certified Coach of Positive Psychology to coach myself into a happier life. Once I saw that what this cutting edge science reported actually worked, I felt it my duty to spread the word. But here&#8217;s the deal, there are tons of massive, academic like books out there giving you information about Positive Psychology.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #cc0000;">Locked inside the Science of Positive Psychology are some of the true secrets to happiness </span></h2>
<p>Here is what I learned &#8211; locked inside Positive Psychology is what we all seek- not a lecture on the necessity of being happy (sorry, Mom), but tested techniques on how to be happy; locked inside Positive Psychology was a system to be happy.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #cc0000;">The problem? </span></h2>
<p><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span>The secrets to happiness are locked inside &#8211; they are buried in scientific speak and under hoards of testing and data that is difficult to apply to your practical home and work life.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #cc0000;">The solution:</span></h2>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">A <span style="text-decoration: underline;">system</span> that Unlocks the Secrets: The Happy Gym.</span></p>
<p>Keep in the mind the underlined word above:<strong> System.</strong> The Happy Gym unlocks the secrets to happiness that are<strong> </strong>hidden within the study of Positive Psychology by making it easy and <strong>systematic</strong> for you to increase your happiness. The Happy Gym is <strong>not a science book</strong>. The Happy Gym walks you through <strong>sets of mental exercises</strong> that are based in scientific reasearch and  inspired by the study of Positive Psychology and other studies on happiness.</p>
<p>What I have done over the last several years is develop a <strong>20-day system</strong> that is easy to follow an integrate into your life with <strong>5-10 minute exercises</strong> that you can do everyday. These mental workouts will increase your happiness and that is the bottom line!</p>
<h2><span style="color: #cc0000;">I want you to be happier, because I know what is like to chase happiness and come up short. </span></h2>
<p>I worked in the corporate world surrounded by chasers like myself that ran into disappointment after disappointment at every turn. I wanted to teach them about Positive Psychology, but I didn&#8217;t find too many resources out there that were easy to follow and provided a system. This is when I decided to create <strong>The Happy Gym</strong>.</p>
<p>At one point or another, we&#8217;ve all gone to the regular gym to lose weight. A gym provides motivation because there are other people using it and it works because it is systematic. The Happy Gym does the same thing for your mind and that the regular gym does for your body. The only difference is The Happy Gym only takes <strong>5-10 minutes per day</strong>.</p>
<p>The information I&#8217;ve provided you above is only scratching the surface of what <strong>Positive Psychologists</strong> have discovered. Instead of chasing after what hasn&#8217;t worked in the past, use the scientifically proven techniques. Positive Psychologists have dedicated their lives to be able to tell us exactly <em>how to achieve happiness. </em></p>
<h2><span style="color: #cc0000;">Every individual training module – one a day for 20 days – will present you with each of the following:</span></h2>
<p>• Details of one <strong>specific aspect</strong> of your life to be changed to become happier;</p>
<p>• Scientific proof that by tackling the <strong>daily task</strong>, you remove some of the doom and gloom that surrounds you bit-by-bit;</p>
<p>• An <strong>example</strong> of how you put the lesson concept into practice and finally</p>
<p>• Specific, <strong>practical</strong> exercises about how to take action on what you have just discovered.</p>
<p>Because every lesson in ‘The Happy Gym’ follows this same step-by-step structure, it is extremely easy to put what you learn each day into practice. Furthermore, because the book has been written in plain, easy to understand English, you don’t need a science degree to understand it.</p>
<p>In fact, if the science makes no sense at all – no matter – you’ll still get happier as long as you follow the practical exercises. And just in case you’ve forgotten, let me remind you of exactly what you will gain from owning your own copy of ‘The Happy Gym’.</p>
<p>Remember that research has established that there are a bunch of tangible benefits that happy people are more likely to enjoy than those who are unhappy?</p>
<h2><span style="color: #cc0000;">Well, once you become happier, all of these benefits can be yours:</span></h2>
<p>•You can get a more <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">satisfying job</span></strong> than any that you have had before, one that puts more money in your pocket too.</p>
<p>•Within your new work environment, you are <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">more likely to be promoted</span></strong> (remember that happy people make better leaders) and you will definitely achieve more than you might if you were unhappy.</p>
<p>•You will become more <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">popular socially</span></strong> because most folks prefer to be around happy people.</p>
<p>•Struggling to find the<strong> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">best life partner</span></strong> for you should become a thing of the past. Again, you will be far more attractive to potential partners if you are a happy, cheerful individual than you would be if you are miserable and moribund.</p>
<p>•If you are already in a partnership or married, keeping your relationship together and settled will be much easier if you learn to <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">enjoy life</span></strong> more than you were before.</p>
<p>•Getting out of bed every day will become easier, an experience that will be far more positive than it ever has been before. When you <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">become optimistic</span></strong> about what the future holds, every day is a new adventure instead of being a chore that has to be survived.</p>
<p>•You are likely to be <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">healthier and fitter</span></strong> than you are as an unhappy person. Healthier, fitter people live longer and get more out of life whilst they are doing so.</p>
<p>•In almost every imaginable way, the new <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">happier you</span></strong> will be far more popular with everyone around you than the less-happy version was. Trust me, I know from sometimes bitter experience that people are happiest around other happy people, and I have no doubt at all that you will discover exactly the same.</p>
<p>I’m someone who has a simple plan based on advanced scientific knowledge that will make you happier. I genuinely want you to have access to this life-changing information today.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #cc0000;">If you wish to find true happiness, but more importantly, you want to know the specific steps of <em>how</em> to do this &#8211; you&#8217;re at the right place&#8230;</span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;">Then you must get ‘The Happy Gym’ as soon as possible. Within a few days, it will start to increase your happiness.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Grab your copy now for just <strong>$37.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong> <a href="http://2.mybigthink.pay.clickbank.net/"><img class="size-medium wp-image-225  aligncenter" title="addtocart" src="http://howtofindhappiness.com/files/2010/03/addtocart-300x88.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="88" /></a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://2.mybigthink.pay.clickbank.net/"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Remember that (unlike your local gymnasium or fitness club), there are no monthly fees.<br />
The total lifetime cost of becoming happier-ever-after at ‘The Happy Gym’ is just $37.</p>
<p><strong>That’s not a lot to pay to be happy, is it?</strong></p>
<p>Now, at this price, I know that for the work I’ve put into ‘The Happy Gym’, it’s an absolute steal! Which is why this might be a short term trial price that I will up to something far more realistic soon. I don’t know when this will happen but there is one thing I can however state with 100% conviction. ‘The Happy Gym’ will never be cheaper than it is today.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #cc0000;">You want to be happier now, right? Not next week or next month, now…</span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;">So, don’t hesitate a moment longer –<br />
grab your copy of the Happy Gym for just $37 right now.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.mybigthink.pay.clickbank.net/"><img class="aligncenter" title="addtocart" src="http://howtofindhappiness.com/files/2010/03/addtocart-300x88.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="88" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://2.mybigthink.pay.clickbank.net/"></a></p>
<p>Love &amp; Light,</p>
<p>Amelie Chance<br />
Certified Coach of Positive Psychology<br />
Your Personal Happiness Trainer</p>
<p>PS. Happiness is your right. It is your right TODAY so you cannot afford to delay ‘The Happy Gym’ one moment longer. Click the payment button above ‘enroll’ today…</p>
<p>P.P.S. I&#8217;m a real person. Please feel free to email me and ask me questions at <a href="mailto:info@howtofindhappiness.com">info@howtofindhappiness.com</a></p>
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		<item>
		<title>The Are You Happy Survey is Below</title>
		<link>http://howtofindhappiness.com/how-to-be-happy</link>
		<comments>http://howtofindhappiness.com/how-to-be-happy#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:15:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amelie Chance</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Are You Happy? Survey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[be happy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to be happy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[positive thinking]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://howtofindhappiness.com/?p=141</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If I were to summarize into once concise statement all of the advice my mom had given me growing up, it would be this, &#8220;Just be happy.&#8221;


That&#8217;s great &#8211; she was obviously a caring and loving parent, but my response was always, &#8220;No problem, just tell me how.&#8221; My mom&#8217;s answer, &#8220;Um&#8230;well, you&#8217;re going to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>If I were to <strong>summarize </strong>into once concise statement all of the advice my mom had given me growing up, it would be this, &#8220;Just be happy.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="http://howtofindhappiness.com/files/2010/02/happy_success_and_happiness.jpg"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a rel="attachment wp-att-239" href="http://howtofindhappiness.com/how-to-be-happy/happinessami-2"><img class="size-full wp-image-239 aligncenter" title="be happy" src="http://howtofindhappiness.com/files/2010/02/happinessami1.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="280" /></a><a href="http://howtofindhappiness.com/files/2010/02/happinessami.jpg"></a></p>
<p>That&#8217;s great &#8211; she was obviously a caring and loving parent, but my response was always, &#8220;No problem, just tell me how.&#8221; My mom&#8217;s answer, &#8220;Um&#8230;well, you&#8217;re going to have to figure that out for yourself. It&#8217;s <strong>different</strong> for everybody.&#8221;</p>
<p>I set my sights on happiness from that day forward researching every text, self-help book, and practice on happiness. In my pursuit of happiness I discovered something &#8211; <strong>Mom was wrong</strong>. It turns out happiness has many common elements. It turns out that many of the ideas that we commonly believe in both Western and Eastern societies that lead to happiness are simply false.</p>
<p>Happiness is not as nebulous as we all think. There is <strong>a path that is common</strong> to everyone. Common? That&#8217;s right. Whether your are rich or poor, single or married, green or yellow &#8211; you can be happy. To find out what it has taken me 35 years of life study and the path to your own happiness first you must determine if you understand the concept of happiness.</p>
<p><strong>Ready to blow your mind and get happy? </strong>Take the survey and get your Instant Evaluation.<br />
<script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[
var host = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://secure." : "http://");document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + host + "howtofindhappiness.com/form.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
// ]]&gt;</script></p>
<p><script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[
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m7x1w3.initialize({
'userName':'renjain', 
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		<item>
		<title>Rethinking Happiness &#8211; A Revolution</title>
		<link>http://howtofindhappiness.com/rethinking-happiness</link>
		<comments>http://howtofindhappiness.com/rethinking-happiness#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:06:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amelie Chance</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[How to Find Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[happier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[keys to happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[positive psychology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pursuit of happiness]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://howtofindhappiness.com/?p=84</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What are your goals? Think of one. Got it? Ok, now ask yourself why you have that goal. Ok, do you have the answer? Now, ask yourself why you want that? Where am I going with this? To the diagram below. I promise that if you drill down on the reason you have a particular goal by [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><strong>What are your goals?</strong> Think of one. Got it? Ok, now ask yourself why you have that goal. Ok, do you have the answer? Now, ask yourself why you want that? Where am I going with this? To the diagram below. I promise that if you drill down on the reason you have a particular goal by continually asking the question &#8220;why?&#8221;, you will find that the utlimate answer you want anything in your life is to find happiness.</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-85" src="http://howtofindhappiness.com/files/2010/01/yourgoals1.jpg" alt="The pursuit of happiness rethought" width="567" height="455" /></p>
<p><strong>Would you agree?</strong> I&#8217;m guessing you would, but here is the big issue - if we don&#8217;t reach our goals, we may not be so happy. Worse yet, if we do reach our goals, sometimes the happiness is temporary or not there at all. It seems that our overall methods to attain happiness can be extremely challenging with a pay off that is not guaranteed.</p>
<p>Now, what if I told you that you could short circuit all of the above and go <strong>directly to the happiness part</strong>? What I&#8217;m saying is that no matter what your life circumstance, no matter if you are married or single, rich or not-so-rich, brown or green or purple, you could be happier. Would you believe it? Well, it&#8217;s possible. Scientists have done what people for ages have been waiting for &#8211; they have found sure fire methods and exercises to <strong>shift our set point of happiness</strong> &#8211; <strong>permanently.</strong> </p>
<p>This study is called Positive Psychology. It&#8217;s easy to understand and practice and you can learn more here on this website.</p>
<p>The first step you can take is to assess your level of happiness. Take the survey <a href="http://howtofindhappiness.com/how-to-be-happy">here</a>.</p>
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		<title>The Pursuit of Happiness</title>
		<link>http://howtofindhappiness.com/askamelie</link>
		<comments>http://howtofindhappiness.com/askamelie#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:06:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amelie Chance</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[How to Find Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[happy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://howtofindhappiness.com/?p=46</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In my life, I have been that person to whom people spill their guts. Deep, dark secrets, fears, and life complications seem to easily flow from friends, family, and even random strangers in search of some advice. Anywhere I would go, I would attract someone seeking advice.

Question: “Hey, Amelie, I think my husband is having [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>In my life, I have been that person to whom people spill their guts. Deep, dark secrets, fears, and life complications seem to easily flow from friends, family, and even random strangers in search of some advice. Anywhere I would go, I would attract someone seeking advice.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="size-full wp-image-94 aligncenter" src="http://howtofindhappiness.com/files/2010/01/secret.jpg" alt="secret of happiness" width="499" height="340" /></p>
<blockquote><p><strong>Question:</strong> “Hey, Amelie, I think my husband is having an affair, what do you think I should do?”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p><strong>Answer:</strong> “Couples counseling as a first effort…”</p>
<p><strong>Question:</strong> “Amelie, I’ve put on 20 pounds I just can’t shed and I’m seriously depressed about it…suggestions?”</p>
<p><strong>Answer:</strong> “You like to cook. You are joining the local healthy cooking club…”</p>
<p><strong>Question:</strong> “I love my job, but I hate my boss. It’s really making me question whether to move onto a different company, but the economy is terrible. What do you think, Amelie?”</p>
<p><strong>Answer:</strong> “The first step is a conversation with your boss&#8230;”</p></blockquote>
<p>In all my advisement, I had come to one grand conclusion: No matter how difficult a challenge, there was always a practical solution &#8211; <strong>a plan of action</strong> &#8211; that can solve the problem.</p>
<p>That is, until this conversation…</p>
<blockquote><p>“Hey, Amelie, I’m really not happy. I just feel miserable.”</p>
<p>“Ok, has something changed in your life recently or can you pinpoint the source of the misery?”</p>
<p>“Nope, I’m married and have a good job and a nice family. I can’t really pinpoint it, I just feel miserable.”</p>
<p>“What have you already tried to feel better?”</p>
<p>“Everything – seriously. I’ve read books on positive thinking, I’ve seen a therapist, and I feel better for a bit, but the words seem to only help temporarily.”</p></blockquote>
<p>I said nothing. <strong>I was stumped.</strong> She had already tried some of the things I may have suggested, but there had to be a solution. How many people are walking around miserable? I decided not to give up &#8211; I did the research myself.</p>
<p>When I do research, I get really into it. I got my hands on every self-help book, audio-video course, and read through every <strong>article about happiness</strong>. I even went as far as to go speak to a therapist myself. As I was perusing through all my resources, something happened. I stumbled upon Positive Psychology – the study of what is right with humans and how this can lead to our own flourishing.</p>
<p>Positive Psychology, otherwise known as the Science of Happiness, had been producing the most amazing studies. The Science of Happiness. Really, a science? Really. Did you know that we all are born with a genetic set point of happiness. Basically, our DNA accounts for 50% of why we are or are not happy. I bet you&#8217;re thinking the other 50% depends on how your life turns out (where you live, who you marry, your job etc.) Nope! Research shows us that this type of life circumstance, while important, <strong>only accounts for 10% of our happiness!</strong></p>
<p>So, if you were just born a less happy person due to your genes, are you doomed? Absolutely not. Here is the beauty of what positive pscyhology has determined,  the other 40% factor that determines are happiness is <strong>in our control!</strong> We can do exercises and activities to make ourselves happier &#8211; permanently. The best part? The research is supported by science.</p>
<p>There are actually ways to <strong>SCIENTIFICALLY</strong> increase our happiness with practical exercises. At first, I didn’t buy it either. I was like, &#8220;You&#8217;re trying to tell me that I gain as much doing some happiness exercises as I would if I landed my dream job?&#8221; So, I tried it myself. Low and behold…a few days and a few exercises later, I felt happier. It was wild.</p>
<p>I called up my friend and told her what I had discovered and advised her to try some of the exercises…guess what? It helped. In fact, within a week she reported getting a better night’s sleep than she had in the last six months.</p>
<p>If you want to find out about these exercises, take the survey <a href="http://howtofindhappiness.com/how-to-be-happy">here</a>.</p>
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		<title>Do you have to hit ROCK BOTTOM to make a change?</title>
		<link>http://howtofindhappiness.com/gethappyfirst</link>
		<comments>http://howtofindhappiness.com/gethappyfirst#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:49:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amelie Chance</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Evidence shows that people don&#8217;t make changes when they hit rock bottom. It&#8217;s hard if not impossible to make much positive change happen from that dark, down in the dumps, negative space.
&#8220;What do you mean? I&#8217;ve seen many people finally make positive change only when they&#8217;ve hit an extreme low.&#8221;
Negative emotions narrow our focus, when [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Evidence shows that people don&#8217;t make changes when they hit rock bottom. It&#8217;s hard if not impossible to make much positive change happen from that dark, down in the dumps, negative space.</p>
<p>&#8220;What do you mean? I&#8217;ve seen many people finally make positive change only when they&#8217;ve hit an extreme low.&#8221;</p>
<p>Negative emotions narrow our focus, when people choose to make a change in their life, they usually tap into the positive emotion of hope in order to make the change happen.</p>
<p>It is the hope that something will be better than where they are at that causes them to embrace and work towards change.</p>
<p>When it comes to producing, getting yourself into a positive space is going to help you do that. For example, when I work with clients and we are working out how to get them to their goal, if they are in a negative space and I ask them to make a list of all the ways they could get to their goal, that list will be considerably short.</p>
<p>However, if they are in a positive space, that list is significantly longer. That is because positive emotions broaden our ability to see possibilities, options and pathways.</p>
<p>There are many ways that I teach clients to get out of negative states and to focus more on the positive. Such as taking a moment to focus on what they are grateful for, doing a mindfulness meditation or I simply describing their vision of what it will be like when their goals are accomplished.</p>
<p>Positive emotions are critical for making positive changes happen.</p>
<p>What are you waiting for?</p>
<p>Are you waiting for things to get really bad before you attempt to create the things you want in your life?</p>
<p>What do you want right now?</p>
<p>Get yourself into a positive state using one of the techniques I just gave you.</p>
<p>Then put your goal in the center of a page, then create lines from the center with all the different options, steps, connections, and details of what will enable you to get that goal accomplished.</p>
<p>You are awesome! Go ahead, make your goals a reality.</p>
<p>To find out the truth about happiness, take the survey <a href="http://howtofindhappiness.com/how-to-be-happy">here</a>.</p>
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