The 7 Secrets of Happiness

Do a search on "happiness" and it looks like every Tom, Dick and Kardashian has the answer and has written the book to prove it. 

Earlier in the year I read "The Bhutanese Guide to Happiness" by Gyonpo Tshering and I love the idea that a country measures Gross National Happiness over Gross Domestic Product. Visiting the little kingdom of Bhutan in the Eastern Himalayas in search of the secret to lifelong happiness is of course on my list.

More recently I read "The 7 Secrets of Happiness" by Gyles Brandreth. I picked it up at the library 'cos it was short and I needed a quick read if I'm going to get my 50 books quota.  What did I learn? Probably not much, but sometimes a happy boost in the middle of winter doesn't go astray.

So what makes you happy?  According to Gyles the top ten triggers are:

1.  Laughter - stand up comic and making people laugh - tick
2.  Friends - even those that you don't see or speak to anywhere near enough
3.  Music - because a bit of reggaeton will always get the hips wiggling and put a smile on your dial
4.  Dancing - see above, although at Zumba last week my smile was more of a grimmace
5.  Sex - and it even burns calories
6.  Sunshine and birdsong - hence identifying birds is this months "learning"
7.  Children - even (especially?) if they are not yours or have fur
8.  Family - well, maybe not that weird Uncle Fester
9.  Drink and Drugs - bring on the bubbles
10. Food in general, chocolate in particular  - but of course, did this even need mentioning????

The book then meanders along talking about looking for and finding happiness before ending with the seven secrets.  So here they are:

1. Cultivate a passion - did you know that Rod Stewarts passion is model railways?  What's your passion? What's mine?
2. Be a leaf on a tree - unique yet connected. Unless it's winter and you've long ago been blown away.
3. Beak the mirror - Self awareness is good; self regard, not so much. Because lets face it, nobody is really that interested in you.
4. Don't resist change - variety, flexibility and go with the flow. But I still don't like white wine. Unless it's got bubbles.
5. Audit your happiness - If more than half of what you are doing in a day makes you unhappy, change it. So obvious, yet so hard.
6. Live in the moment - We hear this all the time. Carpe Diem, quam minimum credula postero. I'd heard the first part Carpe Diem, Seize the day, but the rest fits. Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future.
7. Be happy! Sounds simple right? But I agree. Sometimes you've just got to fake it till you make it. Unless you need help and then there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for help.