4 best ways to find and keep happiness

4 best ways to find and keep happiness

Check out this, yet another great article, from the Huffington Post…

Happiness, or the lack thereof, lies at the root of what makes life meaningful. But figuring out what exactly constitutes happiness, especially in a culture like the Unites States that tends to conflate money with meaning, proves to be elusive. It's not enough, the new documentary Happy suggests, to just be able to pursue happiness — you need to have the chops to capture it.

As part of Gaiam TV's "Happiness Collection," Director Roko Belic tells the story of happiness from all angles, including into his artful mashup snippets from scientists, spiritual leaders, positivity psychologists, and arguably the most compelling, ordinary people grappling with their own lot in life. In their heartfelt narratives, they explore how their own lives prove fertile ground to test, and revise, definitions of happiness.

Belic did his due diligence in terms of research. In collecting over 400 hours of footage from all over the world, ranging from a surfer hotspot in Brazil, the slums of India, cohousing in Denmark, the frenetic pace of industrial Japan, to the insulated world of Bhutan, Belic's film carries a convincing breadth and depth.

This is not the mere woo-woo stuff of affirmation, but a moving explanation of how to nurture our own capacity to be happy. The film begins by introducing the notion that our happiness stems from a mash-up of genetics, life circumstances, and plenty of wiggle room. That substantial slice of our ration suggests we are inherently equipped to choose happiness, not just wish for it.

Here are four tips from the film to develop a happiness skill set. And while results may vary, watch for these telltale signs to make sure you are on the right track: absorption, a sense of something budding in your chest, and an increased interest in cooperation.

Practice Random Acts of Kindness

One of the film's main takeaways is to get off the "hedonistic treadmill" of material desires, and onto the more solid footing of cooperation and service. Extend kindness in ever-widening circles and notice how it often comes back, twofold…

…keep reading the full and original article, containing the remaining 3 happiness tips – HERE