In 2019, I traveled to all 50 states to find out how Americans achieve internal happiness regardless of external circumstances. During my journey, I interviewed more than 500 self-described happy people to learn how they create more joy in their everyday lives and chronicled my journey and learnings in the American Happiness documentary
Take stock
Become self aware of what’s currently creating your happiness and what’s draining it
- Write down the things that bring you joy and things that don’t
- Reflect on how you can manage your time doing more of the things you love while limiting your time on things that decrease your happiness
Follow the sparks
70% of happy people made a work or life shift that was seen as a “step back” by family and friends
- These “crazy” or “not practical” changes to their lives ultimately catapulted them forward, all because of a spark of excitement or interest they decided to act on
Create a “Words to Live By” list
Create more positive emotions daily without having to reach some far off achievement by writing down a list of words to live by.
- Once you have your list, you can start to shift your activities, thoughts, and content to align with those words.
Start your morning on your own terms
Take a minute to yourself without any distractions to set intentions for the hours ahead
- Purposefully decide how you want to experience and react to situations
- This exercise forces you to be more present and intentional with your actions and emotions
