What would it be like if you found out that you had a million dollars in a secret bank account, but you didn’t know it? Wouldn’t that be great? Well, in a certain way you do. You have enormous riches locked within you in the form of positive feelings—such as love, gratitude, compassion, and joy. The problem is, most people haven’t known how to access these feelings. Yet, the new field of Positive Psychology has developed simple exercises that can help anyone feel greater levels of happiness.
For those who don’t know about Positive Psychology exercises, they’re simple methods that have mostly been developed by psychologist Dr. Marty Seligman. According to numerous studies, these quick methods can greatly boost your level of happiness. Since we’re all trying to be happier, having a “technology” that’s been shown to really work is cause for celebration. People currently use very inefficient methods of being happier—such as trying to make a lot of money or have fewer wrinkles. While such things work a smidgen, Positive Psychology exercises have been proven to work much, much better in creating feelings of true well-being.
You may be wondering, if these simple exercises work so well, then why don’t more people know about them? The reason is that there is not a lot of money to be made in teaching Positive Psychology exercises. You can make a lot of money selling pills—such as antidepressants—but there is very little money to be made teaching exercises that change people’s lives.
For better or worse, that’s my job
I sell (for very little money I might add), a systematic course in teaching people the best and most powerful ways to quickly boost their level of happiness. There are over 30 methods in my Deeper Happiness course that have been shown to boost people’s level of happiness, and most of them take under three minutes a day to do. That’s great news. It’s like learning you had a million dollars lying around in the bank, but you didn’t know it.
Let me give you a couple of really quick examples of what I mean. One Positive Psychologyexercise is to do a Gratitude Journal. By writing down three things you feel grateful for during each day, your level of satisfaction with your life will gradually rise. To “turbo charge” your Gratitude Journal, you could include a sentence on how something about you helped make each of those good things happen. For instance, let’s say that one of the things you were grateful for was a good conversation with a friend. To make that statement even more powerful, you could say how your open heartedness helped you to create that experience.
Science often helps us discover things that seem to defy logic. It makes no sense that a 50 ton airplane can fly, but it obviously can. Likewise, it makes no sense that a simple 2 minute Positive Psychology exercise typically brings more joy into your life than if you suddenly doubled your income. But that’s what numerous studies have indicated. As I said, not knowing about the potential power of Positive Psychology exercises is like not knowing you have a million dollars in your bank account.
Now that you know that Positive Psychology exercises can truly impact your life, you have to figure out what, if anything, to do about it. Most people—because they have been hypnotized by their culture, will continue to put all their hope into finding happiness through ineffective means. They’ll hope that more money changes their life, or hope that the next relationship will magically make them fulfilled. Such endeavors will surely keep them busy, but are unlikely to help them discover the treasure of positive feelings living inside them.
Other people will do such things as read books about how to be happier
Although such books contain valuable information, virtually no one uses what they read from books in a systematic manner in their daily life. It’s just too big of a jump. What’s needed is a simple, almost automatic way to be reminded to use Positive Psychology exercises in daily life.
That’s why I created the Deeper Happiness daily audio program for learning and using such exercises. In the program, a person listens to a fun 15-minute talk each morning before they get to work that details a great Positive Psychology exercise. Then, their task is to use that simple exercise sometime during their day. I created the program so that people could really incorporate these great exercises into their daily lives. Most the exercises take only 2 minutes a day to do, and the supplied reminder cards help a person to remember to do the exercises.
The typical result of doing these simple techniques days after day is that your life feels more purposeful, fun, joyous, and meaningful. Soon, you learn which methods really work amazingly well for you, and which don’t seem like a good fit. Once you find simple ways to help you quickly overcome negative feelings and tune into positive feelings, your life will never be the same. It will be like finally having complete access to that secret bank account of riches. You can even get the first three Positive Psychology exercises from the Deeper Happiness program for free here. You’ll be amazed at how well these simple methods can improve the quality of your life, health, and relationships.
We all want to experience deeper peace in our lives, or simply have more joy. As a teacher of workshops on happiness, I’ve looked for quick ways to help people quiet their minds and/or enjoy more fun and play. Of the many different things I’ve tried, I’ve found one formula to be so simple and effective that I heartily recommend it to everyone. I call this method The Magical Playlist.
Of all the possessions I own, my iPod is my most treasured. By listening to certain songs, I have almost immediate access to any feeling I want—without any cost, and no known side effects! When making certain playlists, I looked through all the songs I have on my computer, and carefully selected songs that have always had the most impact on me. Nowadays, I have special “mood altering” playlists categorized in five different ways: First, songs that put me in a fun and happy mood. In this category, I have songs like “Twist and Shout” and “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles. It’s hard to sing along with such songs without getting a smile on your face. Try it and you’ll see what I mean.
My fourth “magical” playlist includes songs that make me feel energized and motivated. These are songs I like to shout to, like Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run,” or U2’s “Vertigo.” After shouting to a couple of songs on this playlist, I feel like I can tackle anything. Finally, I have a playlist of songs that make me feel all lovey and mushy inside. These songs are great to listen to before you spend time with your mate or a date.
The way we tend to express love to another person is, in most cases, the way in which we would like to receive it. I have fallen into this trap. I used to give my wife massages because that’s what makes me feel loved. Even if a gorilla gave me a massage, I’d feel totally loved. My wife used to frequently tell me she loved me because that’s what she wanted to hear. When people are unaware of their partner’s preferred ways of feeling loved, they end up expending a lot of energy that goes unappreciated. Yet by knowing exactly what helps your partner feel safe and loved, it becomes infinitely easier to create intimacy on a consistent basis.
By knowing how your own heart is charmed, you can reveal this important information to your partner. Try the previous exercise on yourself, or have your partner read it to you. You may be surprised to discover exactly what your partner does that creates a warm feeling of safety and love in you. Once your mate knows how to help you feel loved, they can more easily and consistently show you they care.