The Happiness Project.

Needing a little happiness? Try this ideas out.

(disclaimer: these are not my own words. They are taken from from a calendar. To learn more about that, read here.)

1. Pass along compliments.

2. Enjoy the fun of failure.

3. Kiss more, touch more, hug more.

4. Follow the "one-minute rule": Don't postpone any task that can be done in less than one minute. Put away your umbrella, file a document- such steps take only moments, but the cumulative impact is impressive.

5. Train for a "marathon" in your passion.

6. Forget about results.

7.You can choose what you do; you can't choose what you like to do.

8. Find the good. The absence of feeling bad isn't enough to make you feel happy; you must strive to find sources of feeling good.

9. Laugh out loud each day.

10. Use good manners.

11. 4 Stress-free ways to eliminate stress:
- Turn out the light as soon as you're sleepy. Getting enough sleep makes a huge difference in your sense of energy and cheerfulness.
- Walk around the block. A little exercise and a little sunlight will give you a big boost.
- Take ten minutes before bed to tidy up.
- Make your bed. This sounds trivial

12. The things that go wrong often make the best memories.

13. Don't assume that happiness is easy.
People assume that a person who acts happy must feel happy, but even though it's in the very nature of happiness to seem effortless and spontaneous,, it often takes great skill.

14. "If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." -Charles Parker

15. Wear your seat belt.

16. Enjoy the process.

17. Make three new friends.

18. If you can't get out of it, get into it.

19. Overlook the past.

20. Choose not to take things personally.

21. Outer order contributes to inner calm.

22. Don't rehearse unhappiness.

23. There can be great joy in routine, and an occasional break makes routine all the sweeter.

24. People don't notice your mistakes and flaws as much as you think they do.

25. No deposit, no return.

26. Rejoice in beauty.

27. Take time to be silly.

28. Don't judge. Try not to judge people harshly, especially on first meeting. Their actions might not reveal their enduring character but instead reflect some current situation in which they find themselves.

29. The "negativity bias" is a well-recognized psychological phenomenon: People react to the bad more strongly and persistently than they do to the comparable good. One consequence of the negativity bias is that when their thoughts are wandering, unoccupied, people tend to begin to brood; the negativity bias means that anxious or angry thoughts capture people's attention more effectively than happier thoughts.

30. The 6-second factor.
If you want to give an especially powerful hug, hold on for at least six seconds. This is the minimum time necessary to promote the flow of oxytocin and serotonin, mood-boosting chemicals that encourage bonding.

31. 3 ways to avoid procrastination.
      - Do it in the morning. If you dread doing something, you're going to think of more creative excused as the day goes on. Without delay is the easiest way.
      - If you put off a task that you try to do several times a week, try doing it every day, instead. When you know you have to do something, there's no dithering, there's no juggling. If you're finding it hard to go for a walk four times week, try going every day.
     - Make preperations, assemble the proper tools. If you dread a task, it helps to feel prepared. Gather up phone numbers and printouts, read background information, make a list, whatever you need. Dividing a tough task into preparation and execution makes it easier to tackle.

32.Every house needs and empty shelf, and every house needs a junk drawer. It's good to have a bit of pure order--and also a bit of chaos someplace, with unexpected treasures.

33."To like many people spontaneously and without effort is perhaps the greatest of all sources of personal happiness." Bertrand Russell.

34. Cut people slack.

35. Take time for adventures.

36. What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.

37. Try something eight times before you give up.

38. Remember birthdays.

39. "Habit converts luxurious enjoyments into dull and daily necessities." - Aldous Huxley

40. Happy people make people happy-- but you can't make someone be happy.

41. "It is essential to happiness that our way of living should spring from our own deep impulses and not from the accidental tastes and desires of those who happen to be our neighbours, or even our relations." -Bertrand Russell

42. Need a quick jolt of happiness, right now? Try this:
Listen to your favourite music. Studies show that listening to music is one of the most effective ways to boost your energy and mood. For an added boost, dance around the room, too.

43. 4 ways to make yourself more likeable.
1. Smile. Studies show that the amount of time you smile during a conversation does influence how friendly you're perceived to be.
2.Be easily impressed, entertained, and interested. Most people get more pleasure from wowing you with their humour and insight than from being wowed by your humour and insight.
3. Have a friendly, open, engaged demeanor. Lean toward people, nod, say "uh-huh," turn your bosy to face the other person's body.
4. Try to remember the person's name.

44. Pursue a passion. Identify it and find time for it in your ordinary life. Schedule time for it, just like a dentist's appointment.

45. Work hard to be lazy.

46. Burn energy to create energy.

47. Make people happier by acknowledging when they are not feeling happy.

48. Take time to steer your mind toward the transcendent and the timeless, away from the shallow and the immediate.

49. Secrets of adulthood:
    -Always say hello.
    -Never let your car's gas level fall into the "empty" zone.
    -Bring a sweater.

50. Just decide. Merely making and sticking to a decision is a source of happiness, because this action gives you a feeling of control, of efficacy, of responsibility.

51. If you're feeling overwhelmed or worried, sweep the porch, fold some laundry, or wash some dishes.
Repetitive activities trigger the body's relaxation response and so help to reduce stress.

52. "If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly." G. K. Chesterton

53. Force yourself to wander.

54. Indulge in a modest splurge.

55. Circle of happiness: In a virtuous circle, being happy energizes you, and at the same time, having more energy makes it easier to engage in activities- such as socializing and exercise- that boost happiness.

56. Consciously carve out time for fun. Don't wait until you have some free time. You may never have any free time.

57. We tend to view other people's actions as reflections of their characters and to overlook the power of the situation to influence their action. In other words, we overemphasize the role that personality plays in shaping others' behaviour, and under emphasize the role of outside forces.

58. "I have often regretted my speech, never my silence." -Publius Syrus

59. Look for reasons to find things funny, to laugh out loud, and to appreciate other people's humour. Sometimes it's challenging to give people the laughter they crave, but what starts out as forced laughter can often turn real.

60. Be Grateful. Remind yourself that lousy day isn't a catastrophic day. Remind yourself of reasons to be grateful.

61. If you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough.

62. You need old friends and new friends.

63. One effective way to complete a project is to abandon it.