The sunshine is seriously making me happy. How about you? Many beautiful spring days ahead means lots of fun outdoor activities with the family! Sunshine is also good mood fuel.
Today, as I was gathering together all of the family fun events around Asheville, one of my Facebook memories popped up from last year. I was at the World Happiness Summit in Miami listening to leading happiness experts, and I made a list of the top takeaways. (I love learning new things and taking notes!) In the spirit of sharing a little sunshine, I'm sharing the the list with you here. Some tips are light. Some are heavy. Even if they all don't resonate with you, maybe one will. Hey, you could read the list outside and maybe soak up a little sunshine while you're at it. In the meantime, make it a fun-filled family week!
World Happiness Summit Takeaways
• Give yourself permission to be human.
• When you let painful emotions flow through you, it opens you up to positive emotions.
• Writing about your most traumatic experience increases your well-being.
• Journal about gratitude as it increases your well-being and physical health.
• Live your values. Come up with one word of how you want to be.
• Is your mind full or mindful?
• Our brains are often like drunken monkeys, jumping from branch to branch, but you can take the switch from automatic to manual.
• Our goal should be to create as much happiness in the world and as little misery.
• Chip away at anything that isn’t you.
• Emerge as you truly are—even imperfect—and be who you are supposed to be.
• Ask yourself: What do I need to be happier? What is shouting in me to be let out so I can be happier?
• Everyone wants to matter. Mattering means adding value and feeling valued.
• When people feel they matter, they can make a difference in the world.
• What can you do to enhance someone’s mattering?
• When you live your purpose, the universe conspires on your behalf.
• We’ve become numb. If we want the world to behave better, we have to behave better.
• When we express our character strengths, we elevate others around us.
• Pleasing others makes you feel out of your own skin.
• Do you please others and alienate from yourself?
• Stop demanding sameness. Stop expecting people to be like you.
• We each have circles of influence. Take responsibility to take your character strengths to your circle.
• We all can be culture builders. We have the opportunity to be mindful of the character strengths we have and how we bring them into the world and our circle of influence.
• Instead of just skills for academic achievement, we need skills for well-being and flourishing.
• We have so much power to ask for what we truly want.
• Imaginations – Why do humans use our imagination to suffer? Why do you imagine things you don’t want. Use your intended imagination properly.
• Show up to your obstacles and opportunities will happen.
• Practice gratitude. It’s difficult to be unhappy when you are grateful.
• Discomfort is the price of admission for a beautiful life.
If you want to learn more from the happiness experts at the World Happiness Summit, you can read more here! (If you want to know who said what, just ask!)
As always, I'd love to hear from you. Send me an email to SandraB@ashevillemacaronikid.com. If you have an event or story idea you'd like to share, send it along. Events also can be uploaded directly to MacKidAsheville by clicking here!
