Parenting Advice From A Happiness Expert

I’m reading Shawn Achor’s book: The Happiness Advantage

Shawn has an excellent point when he calls attention to the fact that we are programmed to delay happiness until a certain goal is attained but then the bar is always raised higher and another goal is set leaving us to delay happiness once again. As parents we can pass this onto our children in the form grade achievements in school.  A 90 percent  is good but a 99 percent is even better. This can lead to an eventual 4.0 GPA is nice but a 5.4 is stellar! In sports as well as music programs it’s the same.

What if we taught children to feel happiness in the present? According to Shawn’s studies their success rate would improve. Happiness = Success

How do you teach children to have happiness in their daily lives? It begins with gratitude. Listen to the expert.

Create Positive Habits

Gratitude: Write three things your grateful for every day
Journaling: Write about a positive experience
Exercise: Fifteen minutes a day
Acts of Kindness: Write a positive note or email to someone
Meditation: Two minutes a day

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Wayne Dyer

“The more you are in a state of gratitude, the more you will attract things to be grateful for.” Walt Disney