Come On, Get Happy

Fear of Living Happier

There’s a fear of failure that people encounter when it comes to being happier. Fear can make you revert to some old, unhealthy habits and behaviors just to enjoy that comfortable feeling again.

“Recognize that fear, recognize that you’re human and just put it aside,” says Debbie Gisonni, author of The Goddess of Happiness: A Down-to-Earth Guide for Heavenly Balance and Bliss. “Don’t think about it. Instead of thinking about what could happen, keep focusing on what you want to happen.”

Another way to handle the fears of being happier is through volunteer work. As Anthony says, when you’re helping others, “you’re being very positive with your time and then there’s that satisfaction—the feeling of greatness that comes from helping others.”

When Scott Harrison decided to change his life to be happier, he never realized that he would question everything he held true. In 2004, the New York City resident realized that his work promoting nightclubs and fashion events was utterly unfulfilling. “I was one of the most miserable people I knew,” he says.

In order to live a happier life, Scott changed his life drastically. He re-examined his faith and volunteered a year of service as a photographer for Mercy Ships, a non-profit that offers free medical care to poor countries around the world.

“I had to see 5,000 people standing in a field with horrible tumors, cleft lips and palates, the blind, the lame,” he says. “I cried a lot, I prayed a lot and I doubted a lot, too. How could a God allow this stuff to happen?”

These tragedies didn’t stop Scott from continuing to pursue his dream of helping others. “I was lucky to be able to focus on what we could do—on the thousands of lives we could and did radically transform,” he explains. His change was so successful that he started his own non-profit called “Charity,” and Scott feels that he’s happiest when he’s helping others.