Happy for No Reason outlines a 7-step process for achieving lasting happiness. Transformational expert Marci Shimoff puts forth her theory that people can be happy for no reason. Although certain events in life from a shopping spree to a wedding can bring temporary happiness, these boosts in mood are temporary. Chasing temporary methods for making oneself feel good does not bring true happiness.
The Big Ideas!
- People have a basic happiness set-point that defines their general level of happiness
- Although people’s happiness levels may raise and lower in response to specific life events, people will return to their set-point
- Set-points can be raised through changing perspective and practicing happiness
In a Nutshell
1. The Foundation – Take Ownership of Your Happiness
Shimoff searched for and interviewed 100 happy people and discovered that these people did not get their happiness from their external world. Many of them lacked things society says make people happy, such as wealth, a loving spouse, health and success. The “Happy 100” did not fit into any socioeconomic box and did not share any commonalities besides qualities of inner happiness. The y exuded vitality, compassion, purpose, gratitude, acceptance, openness and an ability to be fully present in the moment.
Building a foundation for happiness begins with understanding that it is a personal choice whether someone experiences happiness or negative emotional states. Being happy is not about euphoria or denial of emotions. This section lets readers know that there is a neurophysiological state of feeling calm, inner peace that is not rocked by negative emotion derived from external circumstances; this is true happiness. Through changing habits and switching from dwelling on problems to focusing on solutions, life lessons and empowerment people can build a foundation for happiness.
2. The Pillar of the Mind – Don’t Believe Everything You Think
The second step to happiness is to question one’s thoughts. People habitually think of failure, reasons to be sad, past difficulties and painful memories. Research estimates that people have 60,000 thoughts per day, and 95 percent of them are negative. By questioning negative thoughts and turning them into positive possibilities, people can create habits of positive thinking.
3. The Pillar of the Heart – Let Love Lead
When people think of happy memories they feel warmth in their hearts. The human heart has its own energy feel. Negative thoughts make the energy field collapse and positive thoughts make it expand. Practicing exercises that promote gratitude, forgiveness and compassion creates a more open heart and increases the flow of positive energy.
4. The Pillar of the Body – Make Your Cells Happy
The body can be conditioned to support happiness through how people breathe, move, eat and even through facial expressions. Happy for No Reason recommends physical activity, abdominal breathing, eating fresh foods, drinking water and cutting out stimulants like caffeine to promote a healthy body and balanced hormones.
5. The Pillar of the Soul – Plug Yourself Into Spirit
No particular religion is recommended in this section, but the benefits of having faith and connecting to a higher power are explained. The book gives meditative and visualization exercises to help people hear their inner voice, connect to a higher power and feel more vitality. Shimoff says she discovered that happy people do not always have to have everything figured out; they trust that that things will work out and this gives them inner peace.
6. The Roof – Live a Life Inspired by Purpose
People need to know their purpose in life to be happy. A particular job or profession does not automatically give purpose. The book gives exercises to help people to discover their purpose. Keeping their purpose in mind gives meaning to everything one does.
7. The Garden – Cultivate Nourishing Relationships
Some people are uplifting and supportive while other people drag their friends down. This section deals with how to cultivate positive friendships to promote happiness. It also discusses mirror neurons, which are cells in the brain responsible for why people often mimic the body language and even attitudes of the people around them. An examples if how when a person smiles or yawns, other people often do the same. It is important to surround oneself with people who smile, laugh and exude positive feelings.
Quotables
Other experts on happiness urge you to find the things in life that make you happy, and do more of those things. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it won’t bring you true and lasting happiness. Happy for No Reason takes a radically different approach, showing you breakthrough methods to consistently experience the deep, inner happiness that’s at your core – a happiness that’s beyond reasons and that’s here to stay.”
IMEO (In My Eudaimonian Opinion)
Happy for No Reason lives up to its promise of showing people how to be happy “just because,” not because of something. Although the book in no way speaks against doing things that make you happy, it proves the point that happiness is not dependent upon money, relationships, health or success. All of those things can give people temporary happiness, even temporary happiness on a consistent basis that mimics true happiness until the source is taken away. Once the money, the person or the situation is not there, happiness fades. That is not real happiness.
Will this book work for everyone? No it won’t. It can work for everyone, but many of the simple ideas take great effort to implement. Forgiveness for one. How can anyone be happy when they are carrying around hate for another person or themselves? The book is very clear about how to let go of negative thoughts and change patterns of negative thinking. It gives easy, powerful exercises to do so.
Happy for No Reason is poignant, well-written, entertaining, and based on solid research.
Take action, humanoid!
Use this book as a road map for your own happiness. Begin to change by recognizing any time you do not feel happy and instead of calling a friend to cheer you up, heading to the mall or indulging in your favorite treat, identify the reason for your dissatisfaction. Then,
- Focus on creating a solution to the actual problem instead of looking for a distraction.
- Look at the situation from a different perspective and see if there is a way you can learn from it.
- Try to generate feelings of joy regardless of what is going on around you until it becomes a habit.
The Deets
Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out
Author: Marci Shimoff
Publication Date: 2009