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How do you plan to create happiness in 2012?

This is the question BlogHer asks this week on Life Well Lived. Dr Aymee Coget (billed on her website as a Sustainable Happiness Expert) introduces her concept of a Happiness Seatbelt. Good stuff — click over to read. She includes two ideas that I also espouse: choosing happiness and being mindful.

I offered my answer in a brief comment, and you can read that while you’re there. I also want to encourage YOU to answer the question and leave it in a comment.

Why? First of all, I like the way the question is framed. It naturally gets you thinking about HAPPINESS rather than not thinking about sadness. Maybe that sounds like I’m splitting hairs, but too often I hear of resolutions that verbalize what people DON’T want, like “lose weight” or “stop yelling at the kids.” As opposed to getting more healthy or speaking more kindly.

Secondly, answering the question helps you clarify where you are and where you want to go. With intention, focus and clarity, you’re more likely to get your aim right and make progress in the direction you choose.

Thirdly, while you’re over there commenting and clarifying, why not also enter the Kindle Fire Sweepstakes, too?

I hope to read your answers over there — I’m interested what you have to say about creating happiness this year.

I’ll close with this recent tweet:

Abraham Lincoln quoteHow happy do you plan to be in 2012?

6 Responses

  1. Thanks for the link. I shall ponder this question and tender my response on that site.

    I see what you mean about the difference between making a choice to be happy and making a choice to not be sad. One is more proactive, it requires a mind set that is different than trying to avoid something. Not beig sad doesn’t mean you’ll be happy, you might just end up feeling blah. Why not commit to what you really want, which is to be happy.

    You can change your perspective. I challenged myself to only tweet positive things for a week and by the end of the week I noticed myself being aware of so many more positives in my life, because I had trained myself to do so. It was really nice and I was surprised by how something as simple as only tweeting positive things so completely changed my general attitude. I really need to write a post about that.

    Thanks again for the link! And the interesting question you posed.

  2. There’s been a few moments of “I’m really enjoying my life” over the past few months. This makes me happy because I struggled so much when I learned I was having twins. I had a great job, my hubby and I had date night all the time, my older kids were at a great age (4/6)…so the life altering change of having two babies really took a toll on me in 2011. I never complained, never. LOVE my twins..I couldn’t imagine my life without them. But I had a hard time accepting my new life as a SAHM. So, of course, I started blogging and started a new business, and I’m at home with my kids, and i’m in their lives and I still get to go out with my hubby…it’s like I rediscovered a new sense of balance. That makes me happy. i am reaching my goals. I found ones I had written 5 years ago, and i’m still right on track. Accepting and balance is how i am finding happiness this year.

  3. We’re having a rough start to the year, so I’m just gonna take it as it comes…

    I will attempt to not spend the rest of the year being as angry as I have been in the last week.

  4. I’m glad you brought this up because I am struggling on this one. My year of living joyfully is over (that blog project) and so this year I’m not going to live joyfully? I didn’t think this through clearly. Thanks for the reminder to keep this question in my mind in 2012.

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