The Happiness Mantra

We are quite literally Obsessed with achieving HAPPY. There must be thousands of How To books on the very topic."

Maybe it all kicked off with the Dalai Lama's "Art of Happiness" and ever since its been a gradual and more recently a major onslaught of "Happiness-themed" books.


Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D. - A New York Times

Bestseller and "The backbone of the most popular course at Harvard" . Apparently, this one is scientific in its approach.
Six Tips for Happiness - Advice from Tal Ben-Shahar.

1. Give yourself permission to be human. When we accept emotions -- such as fear, sadness, or anxiety -- as natural, we are more likely to overcome them. Rejecting our emotions, positive or negative, leads to frustration and unhappiness.

2. Happiness lies at the intersection between pleasure and meaning. Whether at work or at home, the goal is to engage in activities that are both personally significant and enjoyable. When this is not feasible, make sure you have happiness boosters, moments throughout the week that provide you with both pleasure and meaning.

3. Keep in mind that happiness is mostly dependent on our state of mind, not on our status or the state of our bank account. Barring extreme circumstances, our level of well being is determined by what we choose to focus on (the full or the empty part of the glass) and by our interpretation of external events. For example, do we view failure as catastrophic, or do we see it as a learning opportunity?

4. Simplify! We are, generally, too busy, trying to squeeze in more and more activities into less and less time. Quantity influences quality, and we compromise on our happiness by trying to do too much.

5. Remember the mind-body connection. What we do -- or don't do -- with our bodies influences our mind. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, and healthy eating habits lead to both physical and mental health.

6. Express gratitude, whenever possible. We too often take our lives for granted. Learn to appreciate and savor the wonderful things in life, from people to food, from nature to a smile.

The Happiness Prescription- DVD set by Deepak Chopra, MD.

"Over the last five or six years, I’ve been looking at the relationship between happiness and subjective well-being. Science has focused on stress and disease for years. We know that when you’re stressed, it leads to all kinds of problems. Epidemics of our time — cardiovascular disease, cancer, infectious disease and addiction — these are all connected to stress. But [I’ve been focused on] the opposite — if you’re happy, are you healthy? Most people have the idea if I’m healthy, if I have a good relationship, or if I’m successful, I’ll be happy. But it’s the other way around.- Deepak Chopra

Note: This is a good DVD Set, I own it.


Authentic Happiness - Martin Seligman
This website has a bevy of interesting information on the topic and questionairres in areas including gratitude, optimism and forgiveness. Also, you can sign up to be a test subject of Dr. Seligman's research and U of PA.

One author I met recently at a spiritual retreat indicated that she had been told by her publisher to include "Happiness" in her next book title as it would sell better.

Can happiness be taught? Can its solution be bought in a book? Should it be so much work?

I'm not knocking it and I do confess that I bought a few of them after re-entry into LA after an almost 10 year hiatus in San Francisco. Certainly I have enjoyed and come away with much from some of my acquisitions.

In my opinion and from my personal experiences, we need to exist in and allow ourselves to feel both light and dark in order to be integrated; too much of one or the other is out of balance and not normal.

The Lotus Flower symbolism is good to reference;

The lotus produces a beautiful flower even with its roots in the dirtiest water. The symbolism is that a person can rise above being rooted in the ugliness and suffering of this world, and should try to be pure and help others with the beauty of the spirit.