3 questions to ask yourself if you want to be happier

The thing about tips to being happy is they sometimes seem so obvious. “Be grateful? Of course it’s a good idea to be grateful. I don’t need you to tell me that.”

Of course, part of the reason these suggestions are, in fact, so useful is that people are busy and often don’t take the time they should to do the little, easy, important things. In her 2015 Top of the Table Annual Meeting presentation “Living a happier life,” Nataly Kogan shared several seemingly simple questions people can ask themselves to help increase their happiness, including:

1. What was I grateful for today? “More than 11,000 scientific studies have shown the incredible power that developing a more grateful mindset has for your well-being. And all that a grateful mindset means is that you take your brain off autopilot, pause and notice the small moments of goodness or beauty or just something positive. They are already there; you don’t have to do anything. They’re already part of your life.”
2. Was I mindful and in the moment? “There’s a study I read recently that 47 percent of the time, we’re not focused on whatever it is we’re doing. And research shows that when you’re not focused on what you’re doing, you’re less happy. It actually matters less what you’re doing than where your focus is. I know that mindfulness has become a popular topic, and we think of mindfulness as meditation. But the easiest way to be mindful is just to focus on whatever it is you’re doing.”
3. How did I nourish my body? “It’s very difficult to feel happy if you eat poorly and you never see the sunshine and you never move. Research shows 20 minutes a day outside is all you need to significantly improve your mindset. So get outside.”

See more steps to happiness in “Living a happier life.”

Written by Matt Pais, MDRT Content Specialist