One of the wonderful things about writing for my newsletter is appreciating the incredible depth, talent and diversity of my readers.
In my last article, I wrote about the 80/20 on Happiness. When you wake up in the morning and also right before bed, think of 3 things you are grateful for. Do this for a week and you will feel 10% happier.
One of my readers, Eric, sent me the original empirical research that measured the effectiveness of this approach. Thank you, Eric!
Since I received a ton of questions about this topic, I thought I’d elaborate on a few things.
- It is better to write down your 3 “grateful things” on a piece of paper than to just think about it. I tend to favor whatever is easier, because if something is easy, it is more likely to get done.
- The 3 things you are grateful for need not be the same things every time. Simply state in that moment whatever you are grateful for, no matter how big or small.
Now I know that many of you might be thinking this happiness stuff is way too woo woo for someone analytical like me. I know this because I used to think that too.
Then I had a thought.
What is the purpose of your career and all the hard work you are doing?
Is the goal to NOT be happy?
Of course not.
If the end game is happiness, then doesn’t it make sense to see if there is a shorter, faster, and easier way to reach it?
I promised to reveal why the gratitude exercise works.
But I thought I’d do just one more exercise first. I encourage you to do it. It will take only 2 minutes:
Scroll to the Comments section below to post a comment on this page. In your comment, list as many things as you are grateful for that you can think of in 2-3 minutes.
The key is to write fast.
Do not over think. Write for speed.
Okay, here is the kicker… (don’t freak out).
Try to write fifty things you are grateful for in 2-3 minutes.
After you are done, describe how you felt — before, during, and after the exercise.
Then read everyone else’s responses.
I promise you if you make the effort to do this 2-3 minute exercise (I know it’s a pain in today’s click-happy world), you will surprise yourself.
Trust me and give it a shot.
In the comments below, write 50 things you are grateful for… and after 2-3 minutes, just stop. Don’t think. Write fast. Don’t write what you think you are supposed to be grateful for. Write for anything large or small that you are grateful for.
Go!
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427 thoughts on “The 80/20 on Happiness – Part II”
I am grateful for:
my parents
my sister
Annette
my health
my freedom
my luck
my fortune
all the people who have believed in me
how much I’ve been able to learn
all my opportunities
my personality
that I’m not one of the many people I’m glad I’m not!
my diversity..
my experiences
how beautiful the world is
sometimes!
how I made nice food today
that I have nice food to eat
and I can buy nice food to prepare
that I can buy medicine if I need it
and see doctors
that I am not afraid
not in danger
I can walk out on the streets
I can buy anything I want, really
and fly anywhere I want
I can try anything and not be afraid
that I don’t have debt
that I am not addicted to anything really
that I am not too impatient and can listen to people
that I have met people who have much to say
whom I can learn from
I am grateful for my travels
Food, internet, love, money, dress, tv, laptop, friends, mobile, I Pad, Consulting, image, respect, bed, parents, brother, mba, knowledge, religion, upbringing, alchohol, english
mom,dad, brother, friends, country, schooling, pals, technology, coffee, beer, career, college, cricket, movies, george carlin, spirituality, conversations, actions, relatives, books, internet, globalization
My son
Food
roof over my head
my parents
my mother
my father
my family
my health
the health of my loved ones
my education
my experience
my extended family
my religion
god
my safety, my families saftey
1. For being in great fulfilling relationship
2. For my partner is an awesome person that supports me
3. For the friends (I have a list of them, when I did the exercise daily) and their friendship no matter what.
4. For being physically capable of doing crazy things, for pushing boundaries with extreme sports.
5. For having a great job that allows me to grow, allows to grow other people and bring enough money to do the stuff I love.
6. For being able to wake up free every day (that Shawshank Redemption movie made me appreciate freedom).
7. For having great mentors like Victor Cheng, Tim Ferriss, Seneca and others (the names would not be known).
8. For being able to unleash people’s potential in their jobs and receive and odd phone call years later honestly and truthfully saying thank you.
9. For being able to dream and fulfil dreams.
10. For being able to fulfil other’s dreams.
11. For not being in a war zone.
12. For having a great client and great team members at my current engagement.
13. For having landed safely so far with many flights I do.
14. For having great parents that raised me and that love me unconditionally. (Why is this #14?.. Should be #1 or 2.)
15. For being in love. In the romantic mood when you want to invent things.
16. For having great hobbies that bring me joy and happiness.
17. For enjoying reading.
18. For being able to bring smiles to the faces of kids.
19. For living in a great and beautiful country.
20. For being born in Russia and knowing the Russian language.
21. For having bad sense of humour (better than nothing).
22. For being able to appreciate good food, good drinks.
23. For being able to put my girlfriend to sleep last night and watch her falling asleep.
24. For getting good education (through great teachers)
25. For learning English in school (and my parents who paid for it).
26. For being able to change things and not to simply accept things.
27. For… people generally smiling back when I smile at them.
28. For having such great people lived before me and writing these awesome books! (here goes the list of my books in my library).
29. For having a dream.
30. For thinking that I have a purpose in life.
31. For my needs being lower than my salary =)
32. For my ambitions being more demanding than baseline (now).
33. For writing this note and actually thinking for the first time about my 29 years of my life and all the great things that happened.
34. For experiencing many cultures and countries, learning languages, food, people. Feeling at home in almost every country.
35. For the trip to Cambodia with my friend that was one of the most amazing experiences.
36. For all my ex-girlfirends that taught me to appreciate relationship and fall in love, deeply and fully.
37. For living in the world of opportunities and knowing that there will be generations after (so that I can try to make this world a better place for them).
38. For having home! Car, collectables, scuba diving gear, etc. (unlike in “Up in the air” movie).
39. For blind typing (otherwise this exercise would be a torture)
40. For living a healthy living and therefore feeling good.
… Assume I mentioned at least 20% more things in every line, this should make it 50 things I am grateful for!
Thanks Victor. I want to repeat this at the end of the year, during my time when I strategise and think of my plans ahead. This is very useful and fulfilling.
Vitaly
Health, Family, money, comfort, friends, alive, work, relationships, two countries, building relationship, being able to ski, to play tennis, to go to Yoga, thinking of achieving my dreams as something possible, freedom of speech, independent mind, roof to live under, electricity, water, food, heat, life comfort, education, washing machine
1 that I am alive
2 I am fairly healthy with no major disease
3 that I have a job
4 that I have a loving family
5 that I have a house
6 that I am not in debt
7 that there are people who value me and like to interact with me
8 that despite some bad habits God has given second chance always
9 that I have a Mom and brother who love and stand by me
10 that I have a daughter who is very intelligent and has great potential
11 that despite my several weaknesses I have been blessed
To be able to read and write
To have all senses and functional body parts
To have family
To have a lovely sister
To have doting parents
To have a husband who loves you
To have a dog
To be able to voice my opinion
To have a choice to be fearless
To feel safe
To have strength to not only feel protected but to protect
To able to choose
To have access to clean food and water
To be able to own more than 5 pairs of shoes and clothes
To be able to dream
To be able to complain
To have a place to sleep
To have ambition
To be able to learn
To be able to meet people and learn from them
To be living in the greatest city in the world and to afford to do so.
To be loved
To have friends
To have traveled
To have free time
my son
my wife
family
my job
leave in US
second election turn in Brazil
my parents
have resource
car
health
cancer survive
good car
be able to travel
secured job
what i do change people life
friends
good friends
my son smile
the beauty of my wife
I am grateful for
1. The weather today-it is an amazing day here.
2. interesting weather.
3. Career opportunities to explore
4. new client I signed up today
5. my lovely wife.
6. my baby boy
7. My puppy
8. My family and their love and support
9. Expanding my mind and increasing my personal effectiveness feel great.
10. Outdoors-I am grateful for weather and for trees and for the amazing birdlife in my garden.
11. That winter has ended and summer is here.
12. That the world is filled with infinite possibility.