happiness epidemic

Why bother?
Why bother spreading happiness? Why put in the effort to inspire others to feel happy?

It’s simple, really. To give something away, you have to first believe you have it. So one of the best ways to feel happy is to help others feel happy.

It started with a smile…

It can start with a smile. You don’t even have to go the whole hog with a toothy grin. You can just smile with your eyes, if that feels more comfortable. Not sure how that works? Practise in front of the mirror. Make it real.

Aside: ever wondered why some celebrity photos just look “wrong”? It’s often because they’re smiling with their faces, but not their eyes, so we subconsciously spot the “fake smile”. It’s like we have a built-in “phoney smile radar”. There’s your random fact for the day!

Gandhi knew what he was talking about…

One of my all-time favourite quotes is from Gandhi. I see it so often on people’s profiles on Facebook that I know it’s one that rings true for many of us. Here it is:

Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

I apologise to the legend if I have misquoted him, but that’s the way I remember his words.

What does it mean?

If you want to see peace in the world, start with yourself. Rather than waiting for everyone else – the politicians, the corporations, the armies – to sort out peace, just be peace yourself and watch it spread.

So if you want the world to be a happy place, just be happy yourself. That will instantly start to affect those around you and will subtly lift your moods. If we all did this, well. You can work that one out, I’m sure!
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Tell A Friend

If you know of any great happiness resources, tell a friend about them. You might know a great book, a great film or something else that has helped you feel happier. Share it with people.

Don’t do it in a way that leaves them feeling obliged and potentially embarassed, if they don’t feel the same way about it as you. That’ll just lead to them avoiding you…

Instead pass on the information out of love and let go of the outcome.

After all, it’s up to them to choose whether or not they want to feel happy. There’s nothing you could ever do to force or persuade them.

What are 3 things you could do to spread happiness today?

How about sharing them, via the comments box?

And if you’d like to connect with other happiness experimenters, how about ‘liking’ the Soul-Sized Living Facebook Page? And you could join in on the Soul-Sized Living forum. See you there! 🙂