What’s Your Happy Thing? #myhappything

One of the things I love about writing a blog is, my life, and those I coach, offer such rich pickings for topics – if I am just willing to stop long enough to take notice.

Rich pickings not only in terms of leadership, but also in navigating life’s peculiar, spectacular journey.

It’s spooky how often the topic for my blog post seems to FIND ME rather than the other way around. For example, more often than not, everyone I coach that week seems to be experiencing the very theme I’m considering writing about – and I feel like it would be rude or somehow wrong not to capture and share my thoughts through The Leaders Digest.

It’s as if some weird collective consciousness is at play. I know this, because so often I get feedback from you, my readers, saying “that was just what I needed to hear this week” or “the timing of that post was spot on.”

For me, this week has really been one of ups and downs. There have been moments when I’ve felt quite sad.

So, in the spirit of writing about what I’m currently experiencing, today’s blog is about happiness – not necessarily because I’m happy this week, but rather because of its absence, at times.

I don’t have all the answers, but what I do know is, when things don’t go our way, there is always something we can do to lift our spirits.

As Viktor Frankl said;

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” 

Today’s blog is a happiness project of sorts. I’m calling it #myhappything

This week, I asked random people I came across in my daily wanderings the following question:

“What’s one thing you do, which makes you feel happy, or lifts your spirits, when you do it?”

Here’s what they said…

Oonagh – “helping other people, I always carry a first aid kit” #myhappything

Nick (age 13) – “my computer” #myhappything

Scott – “when my baby girl cuddles me and her mum and says “best cuddle” #myhappything

Emma – “going for a run…listening to some good music…in the sun…followed by a good coffee” #myhappything

Me – “meditating” #myhappything

I’m kinda hoping to share the simple message of happiness with others and would love you to help me.

1. Write down your ‘happy thing’ on a piece of paper – it can be a sketch, a few words, or whatever you feel helps to describe it.

2. Take a photo.

3. Post it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #myhappything.

4. Share it with your friends and ask them to share theirs.

If you’re on Instagram, follow @myhappything

It’s all about helping ourselves, and hopefully a few others along the way, to identify what makes us happy, so when times get tough, we can tap into whatever it is that helps to lift our spirits.

What’s your answer?

What lifts your spirits, feeds your soul or makes you happier?