Brain Training

Your mom always said, "Practice makes perfect." Whether it's practicing that saxophone or being happier, it's no different. From now on, think of yourself as being in training; training for life’s most rewarding and meaningful achievement—happiness!

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, experiments done by happiness research pioneer Michael Fordyce, Ph.D., scientifically proved that individuals could be taught to increase their happiness by an average of 25% through training. With that in mind, pay attention to all your thoughts and actions today. Make a list with two columns, one for what you consider your bad habits and one for what you feel are your good habits. We're not going to be like mom and look over your shoulder, so be honest with yourself!

If you need some guidance, ask yourself:
How do I react to negative occurrences and how do I react to positive ones?
With what tone do I address people, both strangers and friends?
Am I optimistic?
Am I grateful?

This is your training starting point for happier living. Pick the most obviously bad habit and try to do it less. Simultaneously, pick the most obviously good habit and do it some more. See? This happiness thing isn't so hard!