Guest post from Kelly Coulter of Coulter Internet Marketing

I know all kinds of entrepreneurs and business leaders at different types of businesses. And although for the most part these are strong, empowered people, their level of happiness varies. It is not correlated in any way to their level of earnings or success. Nor is it necessarily attached to their upbringing, or their future prospects. Happiness can be separate from external sources.

We only need to watch any reality TV show centered around the rich and famous to know that success and riches do not guarantee happiness.

So why do some people remain calm and happy while others in a similar situation are angry, critical, and sometimes even combative? Research increasingly suggests that happiness may be more a choice than a state of being. Happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky determined that only 10% of our happiness is determined by circumstances. While 40% is determined by our behavior.

Did you hear that? 40% of our level of happiness is determined by the intentional selection of activities and thoughts that make up our behavior each and every day. 

 

So what can we do to tip the scales in favor of our happiness? Here are some ideas.

 

Start your day happy

​Here’s something no one is talking about – the happiest people you know are happy ON PURPOSE. People do not stumble upon happy lives, they make them.

Try intentionally feeling happiness in the beginning of your day. Here are some ways to start:

 

Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.— Abraham Lincoln

 

Guard your energy

Ever gone to Starbucks in a perfectly nice mood, only to leave angry that you just waited 15 minutes for your coffee? Or felt hopeless and dejected after spending time with a particularly negative coworker?

Your mental and physical energy are entirely yours to control. Find ways to remove energy zappers from your day in order to keep your cork floating.

 

Your zone of genius refers to the types of tasks that you perform best at, and that also make you feel the most deeply fulfilled. Time spent in your zone of genius feeds your soul. Go there often.

 

… truly happy individuals construe life events and daily situations in ways that seem to maintain their happiness, while unhappy individuals construe experiences in ways that seem to reinforce unhappiness.

– Sonja Lyubomirsky, Happiness researcher and author of ‘The How of Happiness’

 

Practice gratitude​

Its easy to focus on what we don’t have. After all, there is always someone with a faster car, bigger house, more lucrative career, whatever. Spending time in gratitude for the things we do have can have major positive benefits. When you spend focused time in gratitude you train your brain to see the good things more.

Here are some simple ways to focus on gratitude:

 

And one more thing. If you need a higher level of care please consider counseling. It’s something we all need to do more of. There is no shame in seeing a counselor in order to take your personal game to the next level.

If you can’t afford counseling 12 step programs are free and really effective. I found this in a post from Beth Shaw, founder and CEO of YogaFit:

If you cannot afford therapy you can attend 12 step meetings. Everyone has something they need to work on and work out – whether it’s AA, Codependents, Alanon, Overeaters anonymous, Shopaholics, Love addicts there are even 12 step meetings for hoarders to help clutter-bust.  For a full list go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_twelve-step_groups
– Beth Shaw blog post:
DEPRESSION, SUICIDE, AND LOW COST MOOD LIFTING STRATEGIES

 

About the Author:

Kelly Coulter helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses happier and faster. Learn more about Kelly and Coulter Internet Marketing here.