flevyblog

Flevy Blog is an online business magazine covering Business Strategies, Business Theories, & Business Stories.
MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP STRATEGY, MARKETING, SALES OPERATIONS & SUPPLY CHAIN ORGANIZATION & CHANGE IT/MIS Other

Happiness Is a Choice!

Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, Pitch Yourself - Next-Level CV PowerPoint (38-slide PowerPoint presentation). Elevate your job application game with our "Pitch Yourself" Next-Level CV PowerPoint Template, designed to showcase your professional experience with clarity and style. Crafted for impactful presentations, this template not only includes stunning layouts but also provides a unique [read more]

* * * *

happiness

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” – Dalai Lama

Today’s world is facing extremely tough challenges at all levels from natural disasters, economic recessions, to homelessness, academic difficulties, anxiety and a whole variety of aches and pains. The traditional psychology played an important role to understand the behavior of people in an attempt to remedy on their psychological difficulties. Many other disciplines, including positive psychology, neuroscience and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), came after as a supplement to focus more on the positive part of the human behavior like happiness, optimism, personal growth and well being.

Many studies and researches based on these approaches proved that we are all able to recover from adversity, thrive and live a happy life. Positive emotions are the only emotions that can help us thrive and succeed. It can be banked to provide us with a protective reservoir of hope, wisdom, well being, creativity and imagination. It remains a personal choice.

You may be wondering the difference between all of them. Positive psychology, officially founded in 1998, is defined by its founder, Martin Seligman, as the “scientific study of optimal human functioning that aims to discover and promote the factors that allow individuals and communities to thrive” The traditional Psychology has always focused on pathologies but very little on human potentialities, strengths and aspirations. As the traditional psychology is focused on how to transform someone from -8 to -2, positive psychology is concerned by how to bring someone from +2 to +8 in regards to human performance and well being. It is not only about positive thinking but it uses the same scientific protocols as the traditional one with a focus on the positive aspects of life with a purpose to sustain and promote a feeling of self-fulfillment.

We cannot talk about positive psychology without mentioning the role of the brain and its major effects on our behaviors. Neuroscience, the study of the brain, liaises closely with these disciplines. It proved that our well being and happiness have also to do with our way of thinking and attitude. We all have the capacities to change the brain circuits to improve our well-being and live a happy life. You may be asking how that is possible. When we practice gratitude, meditation, exercise and optimism, the brain neurons transmit relaxation hormones that help the brain grows and becomes stronger. This can have obviously considerable implications on our well-being and happiness. The opposite is true when it involves negative emotions like stress, fear, anger, and frustration. This time, the brain triggers this as a threat and will produce stress hormones.

Mastering our thoughts and emotions can have tremendous effects on our health and well-being. The best example is the power of the placebo effect. Placebos are fake pills or medicines that contain free substances with no medical effect on the body and are used in many treatments of cancer, diabetes and others. Countless cases and studies proved that a placebo can be as effective as a traditional treatment. The power of the placebo is not about the constituents of the placebo itself but the belief that things will go well which will increase good feeling neuron-transmitters and then healing. It proved that 80% of these cases get better.

This example is just a proof that whatever nurtured in our mind can affect positively or negatively our results and health. It also implies that our beliefs can also affect our well being and then our state of mind. In many cases, the doctor himself can be a placebo or a nocebo. How many of you felt 50% better even before going through a medical treatment based on the attitude and charisma of the doctor. The opposite is true as you may have minor issues, but the reaction of the doctor or the surgeon may be exaggerated. If you are a doctor or a surgeon, make sure to adopt the right attitude. You may prefer to be perceived as a placebo and not a nocebo. I experienced both of them and I know exactly how it can affect our well-being.

However, NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) has been initiated since 1976 by Richard Bandler and John Grinder. It encompasses partly these two disciplines, and adds to them observation and behavior modeling of successful people to help others get delightful and successful results in their lives. NLP is the set of processes and techniques that resulted from modeling that can transform our entire life simply by changing how we perceive the world and how we react to it. Its role is to identify these limited beliefs which are nothing but the result of our perception, education, and environment. By changing them, we can change our reality and future. Taking control of our mind is the main concept behind the NLP practices. We may not control our life circumstances, but we will always have the capacity to control our minds and then our reactions.

To develop and nurture our well-being and happiness, seven aspects to consider in line with all these disciplines:

Resilience

Resilience is the ability to recover from our adversity, crisis and difficulties. It is not only about bouncing back, but mainly about shifting our responses to not let adversity defines us. We cannot escape from life challenges, but we can use stress or pain to our advantage. Resilience is a skill that we all can develop to turn our trauma, crisis into triumphs and gains. Our beliefs and thoughts play tremendous role in this regard. If we believe that something will go right or wrong, then it becomes our truth. Make sure to believe positive things about yourself as sometimes it has to do more with a self-sabotage than with external factors. Resilience may involve a great effort from us, but the impact on our health and well-being is even bigger.

Positive Attitude

Positive attitude does not imply that everything should be perfect in your life. It is more about your capacity to step forward even in the hardest situations. It is also about your attitude when things go wrong in your life. It is true that it takes courage to be positive when everything is negative but being negative will change nothing except that it will attract more negative situations. Being positive will relieve your stress, anger, and make you more optimistic to handle life situations. It will empower you, and create a great positive energy that can turn your worries into wonderful life stories.  Richard Bandler in his book “the secret of being happy” explains scientifically the impacts of happiness on our health and well-being. The list is very long but the procedure is simple as you simply need to have a clear purpose in life that is achievable. Then, you need to lay out your purpose into small steps; the more you get closer to it, the happier you become.

Generosity

You may be wondering if generosity is a skill or an inner quality, either you have it or not. The issue to me is not your ability to develop generosity or not as I strongly believe that everything can be acquired, but the main issue is with your intention. You may develop the skill, but the question to be asked: will you be generous because it is an inner need for self-satisfaction or will you embrace it in return of a service back. Personally, I have never provided help or a free service for a return of something, and the result was amazing as I always had more than expected even when I don’t ask for it. I believe when it is sincere, it will make all the difference. Practicing generosity or kindness to others activate circuits in the brain and generate positive neuro-transmitters and this is what creates this great feeling of well-being and happiness. I wonder if this aspect of intention is taken into consideration by the brain.

Focus

A wandering mind is an unhappy mind as you will have to handle a dispersed energy and unclear goals in life. The result, you may be moving forward but it may not be in the right direction. Focus is the key as it can bring your attention to the present moment and focus on the things that matter most. It is a skill that can be learned and nurtured. Mindfulness is my best discovery that helped me develop more attention to the present moment. To read more about it, I suggest my article Mindful Leadership, which tackles Mindfulness in relation to leadership.

Gratitude

Gratitude enables us to focus more on what we already have rather than on the missing part. Gratitude can help the brain generate positive hormones that will create a great sense of well-being. Gratitude should be a daily exercise to reset the mind and refocus again on the positive aspects of our life.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness may seem difficult for many people but it remains one of the most important attributes we may have to nurture nowadays. Forgiveness can release you from stress, doubt, and depression. It will make you free from fear, anger, and grudge. Forgiveness has never been a sign of weakness, but a gentle way to let things go.  Forgiveness can enable you to go beyond the present moment to focus on the future to achieve a peaceful, fulfilling life. When you forgive, it’s not for the others, but for your inner peace and happiness.

Volunteering

The benefits of volunteering are enormous; it offers vital help to people in need, but the gains can be even greater from personal perspective. It allows us to reduce stress, overcome depression, learn new skills, and meet new people. Giving to others can be a wonderful experience that can empower you and give you a new sense of purpose in life. The more you give, the more benefits you’ll experience; and the happier you will be as many studies have demonstrated.

Volunteering is a fun and exciting as we tend to help others achieve their goals or simply spend wonderful moments that can be of a great value to people in need. It can be also a relaxing, energizing escape from your day-to-day worries and life challenges. It can allow us to renew our vision to overcome life difficulties and carry over into our personal and professional life.

Happiness is a skill that can be developed. It is a personal choice and not a result. It should start from inside before the outside. Once attained, no one will take if from you as it should not depend on any external factors. But the best act of happiness is when you make someone happy

The faster way to reach happiness is simply to be HUMAN.

50-slide PowerPoint presentation
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Framework & Diagram Contents : 1. Be Proactive 2. Begin with the End in Mind 3. Put First Things First 4. Think Win-Win 5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood 6. Synergize 7. Sharpen the Saw That's where the seven habits of highly [read more]

Do You Want to Implement Business Best Practices?

You can download in-depth presentations on Self Improvement and 100s of management topics from the FlevyPro Library. FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives.

For even more best practices available on Flevy, have a look at our top 100 lists:

These best practices are of the same as those leveraged by top-tier management consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, and Accenture. Improve the growth and efficiency of your organization by utilizing these best practice frameworks, templates, and tools. Most were developed by seasoned executives and consultants with over 20+ years of experience.

Readers of This Article Are Interested in These Resources


81-slide PowerPoint presentation
This guide is about Change Before Strategy (CBS). It is about sophistication and peak performance for startups. It is very useful to startups and entrepreneurs, but indeed to all private and government institutions supporting startup work, e.g. incubators, accelerators, hubs, technology [read more]


 
64-slide PowerPoint presentation
 
 
Excel workbook

About Hanane Anoua

Based in Morocco, Hanane Anoua is a certified life and executive coach, mentor, entrepreneur, and passionate writer with more than 13 years of professional experience. You can connect with Hanane on LinkedIn here.


Complimentary Business Training Guides


Many companies develop robust strategies, but struggle with operationalizing their strategies into implementable steps. This presentation from flevy introduces 12 powerful business frameworks spanning both Strategy Development and Strategy Execution. [Learn more]

  This 48-page whitepaper, authored by consultancy Envisioning, provides the frameworks, tools, and insights needed to manage serious Change—under the backdrop of the business lifecycle. These lifecycle stages are each marked by distinct attributes, challenges, and behaviors. [Learn more]

We've developed a very comprehensive collection of Strategy & Transformation PowerPoint templates for you to use in your own business presentations, spanning topics from Growth Strategy to Brand Development to Innovation to Customer Experience to Strategic Management. [Learn more]

  We have compiled a collection of 10 Lean Six Sigma templates (Excel) and Operational Excellence guides (PowerPoint) by a multitude of LSS experts. These tools cover topics including 8 Disciplines (8D), 5 Why's, 7 Wastes, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), and DMAIC. [Learn more]
Recent Articles by Corporate Function

  

  

  

  

  

The Flevy Business Blog (https://flevy.com/blog) is a leading source of information on business strategies, business theories, and business stories. Most of our articles are authored by management consultants and industry executives with over 20 years of experience.

Flevy (https://flevy.com) is the marketplace for business best practices, such as management frameworks, presentation templates, and financial models. Our best practice documents are of the same caliber as those produced by top-tier consulting firms (like McKinsey, Bain, Accenture, BCG, and Deloitte) and used by Fortune 100 organizations. Learn more about Flevy here.
  


OUR CORE OFFERINGS
Flevy Marketplace: Top 100
· Strategy & Transformation
· Digital Transformation
· Operational Excellence
· Organization & Change
· Financial Models
· Consulting Frameworks
· PowerPoint Templates
FlevyPro (Subscription Service)
KPI Library
Streams (Functional Bundles)
Flevy Executive Learning (FEL)
PowerPoint Services

FREE Resources

About Flevy
Management Topics
Marcus (AI-Powered Consultant)
Partner Program
LinkedIn Influencer Marketing
FAQ / Terms / Privacy / Blog
Contact Us: support@flevy.com



CONNECT WITH US!
       
TOP 100 TRENDING TOPICS
Acquisition Strategy
Agile
Analytics
Artificial Intelligence
Balanced Scorecard
Best Practices
Big Data
Breakout Strategy
Business Continuity Planning
Business Plan Financial Model
Business Transformation
CMMI
COBIT
Change Management
Cloud
Communications Strategy
Company Financial Model
Competitive Advantage
Competitive Analysis
Consulting Frameworks
Continuous Improvement
Core Competencies
Corporate Culture
Cost Reduction Assessment
Customer Experience

BROWSE BY FUNCTION
Strategy, Transformation, & Innovation
Digital Transformation
Operational Excellence and LSS
Organization, Change, & HR
Management Consulting

Customer Journey
Customer Service
Cyber Security
Data Privacy
Decision Making
Digital Marketing Strategy
Digital Transformation
Digital Transformation Strategy
Due Diligence
ESG
Employee Engagement
Employee Training
Enterprise Architecture
Growth Strategy
HR Strategy
Hiring
Hoshin Kanri
ISO 27001
ITIL
Information Technology
Innovation Management
Integrated Financial Model
Kaizen
Kanban
Key Performance Indicators

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Business Strategy Frameworks
Case Studies
Consulting Training Guides
COVID-19 Trend Data
Digital Transformation
Financial Advising Services (FAS)

Knowledge Management
Leadership
Lean
Lean Manufacturing
Logistics
M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions)
Manufacturing
Market Research
Marketing Plan Development
Maturity Model
McKinsey PowerPoint
McKinsey Templates
Operational Excellence
Organizational Change
Organizational Design
Performance Management
Post-merger Integration
Pricing Strategy
Process Improvement
Process Maps
Procurement Strategy
Product Launch Strategy
Product Strategy
Project Management
Quality Management


Free Resources
KPI Library
Lean Management
Lean Six Sigma Training Guides
Marcus Insights
Operational Excellence

Real Estate
Remote Work
Restructuring
Risk Management
Robotic Process Automation
SWOT
SaaS
Sales
Scrum
Service Design
Six Sigma Project
Social Media Strategy
Strategic Planning
Strategic Thinking
Strategy Development
Supply Chain Analysis
Sustainability
Target Operating Model
Team Management
Total Productive Maintenance
Value Chain Analysis
Value Creation
Value Stream Mapping
Visual Workplace
Workplace Safety


Product Strategy
Small Business Owner
Startup Resources
Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning Process
Value Innovation Strategy


© 2012-2024 Copyright. Flevy LLC. All Rights Reserved.