How to Be Absurdly Happy

I know what you’re thinking. Here’s another life-coachy blog post on how to make your life better and just be happy.

And it’s true.

I work hard. I get up early, research, study, run a small business, and meet with lots of teenagers and their parents in the afternoons.

I had a parent remark, “You look absurdly happy.”

It was an insightful remark. I have a practice I call giddy for no reason. It falls under the absurdly happy column.

First, a caveat:

Life is hard.

Second, the ground rules:

1. Happiness shares the root of the word happens. So happiness is something that has to happen to you. If you have to go out of your way to like something and find a new perspective to be happy, then that’s awesome but it’s not necessarily happiness in the root sense.
2. Absurdly means irrational. Once again the mind gets in the way.

Third, the practice:

1. For starters, I’d take just 15 seconds, look around an be happy about the stupidest things. Literally, be happy a chair, the desk, the computer is in the room.
2. Then move onto other things in your life: your spouse, your children, your friends. Doesn’t matter. Just for no apparent reason be happy about them.

Fourth: The experiment. Don’t believe it? Try this simple little experiment.

1. Take a before picture. Go ahead. Take a picture on your webcam right now. (Here’s mine.)
2. Do the practice and take another photo. (Here’s mine again.)

Then by all means, stop it. For the rest of the day be totally rational and serious about getting work done. 🙂