Happens Happens Day
August 8th is Happiness Happens Day!
Here in the U.S., we have all kinds of interesting (often obscure) holidays, including
Festival of Sleep Day
Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day
Wear Pajamas to Work Day
National S’Mores Day
Take a Walk in the Park Day
I was fascinated when I discovered so many quirky and unusual holidays. As I looked through the list, the one that caught my attention was “Happiness Happens Day.”
Background of Happiness Happens Day
According to the nationaldaycalendar.com website, August 8th is the celebration of National Happiness Happens day. It’s a time when happiness is encouraged and a time to really focus on those moments of joy, delight, pleasure, and glee.
In August 1998 The Secret Society of Happy People formed to spread the joy of being happy and encourage people to look on the brighter side of life. Their aim – to stimulate people’s right to express and celebrate their happiness!
And they have two mottos: “Happiness Happens” and “Don’t Even Think of Raining on My Parade.”
The original Happiness Happens Day began in 1999 as “Admit You’re Happy Day.”
Some sources say this is Happiness Happens Month – so you have a whole month to notice all the happiness that happens every day!
Pamela Gail Johnson created this special day (month?) and declared, “When we start noticing all of the happiness that naturally happens around us, then it’s easier to deal with the things that make us unhappy, and to create more experiences that make us happy. Happiness is a personal experience. Although happiness is contagious, we really can’t make someone else happy that doesn’t want to be. An unhappy person has to want to catch a little happiness. We are responsible for our own happiness, and others are responsible for theirs. It’s not our job to make someone else happy, and it’s not someone else’s job to make you happy. But when we can share our happiness, that creates a better world for everyone.”
My Interest
It’s nice to feel happy, but so many people don’t. They are depressed, feeling blue, caught up in worries or self-hatred, and lots more modes of unhappiness.
One of my personal goals this lifetime has been to help decrease the suffering in the world. With less suffering, people are not just happier, they also have the time and space to be grateful and more observant of all those moments of happiness they have each day.
For many years as a counselor and teacher I have focused on decreasing suffering of many including:
• Compulsive overeaters, binge eaters, people who feel out of control with cravings, food addicts.
• Women who give and give and give and forget to re-charge their own batteries.
• People dealing with significant loss and grief – loss of a loved one, loss of a job, loss of health, loss of identity, and other losses.
• Individuals who believe their Inner Critic voice of self-condemnation is telling them the truth and, they therefore, suffer from low self-esteem.
• Anyone who feels separate from Source and has forgotten who they really are: a spiritual being having a human experience.
What Happiness Happens Day Means to Me
There is so much unhappiness, so much suffering, so much depression in the world.
When I heard about this special Happiness Happens Day I grabbed onto the concept. Happiness does happen. But sometimes we are so immersed in our pain and grievances that we miss it.
A very personal example. When my son died (Oct. 2011), I wondered if I’d ever be able to feel the emotion of happiness ever again.
In April 2012, two Mallard ducks appeared – swimming in my backyard pond. They were such a beautiful pair – a male and a female.
For many days, I would go out and watch them. It was a glorious experience and I felt peaceful and grateful.
After several days I said to myself, “This is the first time I’ve felt happy since Jon’s death.”
I am really so grateful that
1, The ducks appeared.
2. I had enough presence of mind to realize that I actually felt happy!
How many times might we be feeling happy but we aren’t paying attention?
Happiness Happens Day
Happiness Quotes
Here are a few of my favorite happiness quotes:
“Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.” ~Dale Carnegie
“In our lives, change is unavoidable, loss is unavoidable. In the adaptability and ease with which we experience change lies our happiness and freedom.” ~Buddha
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude. ~Denis Waitley
“If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never be fulfilled. If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself. Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the world belongs to you.” ~Lao Tzu
“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” ~Aristotle
“The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.” ~Benjamin Franklin
“Happiness is an inside job.” ~William Arthur Ward
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” ~Dalai Lama
“Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.” ~John Barrymore
“I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.” ~Groucho Marx
“But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?” ~Albert Camus
Your assignment
Happiness Happens Day
We’ve all heard the expression, “Shit happens.” What if the opposite is also true – that happiness happens and we’ve just not been awake enough to notice?
How often do we experience little happy moments that we take for granted?
Your mission, should you choose to accept it (words from the old TV show Mission Impossible) –
• Pay attention…Is there a tiny spark of happiness that you might recognize, nurture, and fan into a full blown fire of happiness?
• Write a gratitude list and see if your happiness increases.
• Go for one full day (at least) without complaining. Focus instead on what’s good and right in your world.
Let me know if your happiness increases!
Wishing you much happiness,
Meryl
AND TO HELP INCREASE YOUR HAPPINESS…
In honor of Happiness Happens Day, all the products in my online store are 50% off.
https://stopeatingyourheartout.com/pr... Use code Happy50
One day only – Monday August 8, 2016.
Here in the U.S., we have all kinds of interesting (often obscure) holidays, including
Festival of Sleep Day
Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day
Wear Pajamas to Work Day
National S’Mores Day
Take a Walk in the Park Day
I was fascinated when I discovered so many quirky and unusual holidays. As I looked through the list, the one that caught my attention was “Happiness Happens Day.”
Background of Happiness Happens Day
According to the nationaldaycalendar.com website, August 8th is the celebration of National Happiness Happens day. It’s a time when happiness is encouraged and a time to really focus on those moments of joy, delight, pleasure, and glee.
In August 1998 The Secret Society of Happy People formed to spread the joy of being happy and encourage people to look on the brighter side of life. Their aim – to stimulate people’s right to express and celebrate their happiness!
And they have two mottos: “Happiness Happens” and “Don’t Even Think of Raining on My Parade.”
The original Happiness Happens Day began in 1999 as “Admit You’re Happy Day.”
Some sources say this is Happiness Happens Month – so you have a whole month to notice all the happiness that happens every day!
Pamela Gail Johnson created this special day (month?) and declared, “When we start noticing all of the happiness that naturally happens around us, then it’s easier to deal with the things that make us unhappy, and to create more experiences that make us happy. Happiness is a personal experience. Although happiness is contagious, we really can’t make someone else happy that doesn’t want to be. An unhappy person has to want to catch a little happiness. We are responsible for our own happiness, and others are responsible for theirs. It’s not our job to make someone else happy, and it’s not someone else’s job to make you happy. But when we can share our happiness, that creates a better world for everyone.”
My Interest
It’s nice to feel happy, but so many people don’t. They are depressed, feeling blue, caught up in worries or self-hatred, and lots more modes of unhappiness.
One of my personal goals this lifetime has been to help decrease the suffering in the world. With less suffering, people are not just happier, they also have the time and space to be grateful and more observant of all those moments of happiness they have each day.
For many years as a counselor and teacher I have focused on decreasing suffering of many including:
• Compulsive overeaters, binge eaters, people who feel out of control with cravings, food addicts.
• Women who give and give and give and forget to re-charge their own batteries.
• People dealing with significant loss and grief – loss of a loved one, loss of a job, loss of health, loss of identity, and other losses.
• Individuals who believe their Inner Critic voice of self-condemnation is telling them the truth and, they therefore, suffer from low self-esteem.
• Anyone who feels separate from Source and has forgotten who they really are: a spiritual being having a human experience.
What Happiness Happens Day Means to Me
There is so much unhappiness, so much suffering, so much depression in the world.
When I heard about this special Happiness Happens Day I grabbed onto the concept. Happiness does happen. But sometimes we are so immersed in our pain and grievances that we miss it.
A very personal example. When my son died (Oct. 2011), I wondered if I’d ever be able to feel the emotion of happiness ever again.
In April 2012, two Mallard ducks appeared – swimming in my backyard pond. They were such a beautiful pair – a male and a female.
For many days, I would go out and watch them. It was a glorious experience and I felt peaceful and grateful.
After several days I said to myself, “This is the first time I’ve felt happy since Jon’s death.”
I am really so grateful that
1, The ducks appeared.
2. I had enough presence of mind to realize that I actually felt happy!
How many times might we be feeling happy but we aren’t paying attention?
Happiness Happens Day
Happiness Quotes
Here are a few of my favorite happiness quotes:
“Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.” ~Dale Carnegie
“In our lives, change is unavoidable, loss is unavoidable. In the adaptability and ease with which we experience change lies our happiness and freedom.” ~Buddha
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude. ~Denis Waitley
“If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never be fulfilled. If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself. Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the world belongs to you.” ~Lao Tzu
“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” ~Aristotle
“The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.” ~Benjamin Franklin
“Happiness is an inside job.” ~William Arthur Ward
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” ~Dalai Lama
“Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.” ~John Barrymore
“I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.” ~Groucho Marx
“But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?” ~Albert Camus
Your assignment
Happiness Happens Day
We’ve all heard the expression, “Shit happens.” What if the opposite is also true – that happiness happens and we’ve just not been awake enough to notice?
How often do we experience little happy moments that we take for granted?
Your mission, should you choose to accept it (words from the old TV show Mission Impossible) –
• Pay attention…Is there a tiny spark of happiness that you might recognize, nurture, and fan into a full blown fire of happiness?
• Write a gratitude list and see if your happiness increases.
• Go for one full day (at least) without complaining. Focus instead on what’s good and right in your world.
Let me know if your happiness increases!
Wishing you much happiness,
Meryl
AND TO HELP INCREASE YOUR HAPPINESS…
In honor of Happiness Happens Day, all the products in my online store are 50% off.
https://stopeatingyourheartout.com/pr... Use code Happy50
One day only – Monday August 8, 2016.
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