For a Free SAMPLE of The Guidebook to Happiness, CLICK HERE
To Buy a Copy Now on Amazon, CLICK HERE
How would you like to have less stress in your life? Fancy a dose of better health? Want to remove a bit of the brain fog that pops up every now and again? How about some laser like focus (as opposed to the focus of a pen light strapped to the back of a startled gazelle)? I am sure I do not need to go on. You are getting the picture. However the picture you may not have got in the past is why doing something that looks pretty passive (and un-ACTION-like) is absolutely essential to our happiness, health and well being in this modern age. Not just good for us, but I want to show you why it is ESSENTIAL.
Now if you are more of an auditory person and would rather listen to me explain the science and hypothesis behind this article, I recently recorded an MP3 on this topic, so just CLICK HERE.
For those ready, willing, able and game to read on, let me tell you the reason why.
I have decided to write this article backwards. What the heck does that mean, you may be asking? It is like this. I want to share a very important piece of information for your future Happiness (so you understand it intellectually). Then I will explain in detail the ‘why’ (so you get it emotionally). So here goes.
Research by social psychologists tells us buying an EXPERIENCE (such as a trip, concert, or great meal) will give us more HAPPINESS than buying a MATERIAL OBJECT (such as clothing, jewellery, or electronics).
Now before you think I am telling you to give everything away and head off to the nearest cave, let me assure you, it is about balance. It is also about return on investment (ROI). It is about spending that $100 on something that has the greatest Happiness ROI. In this case, the research tells us, the picnic with friends ($100 for snacks and drinks) will bring you more happiness than the $100 shiny new bracelet. Plus if you want to take it one notch higher, taking photos of the picnic, with friends, will lead to more feelings of happiness well after the event.
As soon as I walked in I felt something messing with my Zen. I felt a little bit anxious or uptight or unable to fully relax and it took me a little while to figure it out, but when I did it reminded me how much our external environment can impact on and reflect our internal environment. Both in a positive and negative way. Now I cannot divulge where I was visiting or whose space I was in (to protect the slightly innocent), but what I will be sharing is totally relevant for us all.
I remember reading a book last year about neuroscience – which for me is more fun than reading the latest gossip magazine – and the author was talking about the amount of brain power that is used up via distraction. Additionally they spoke about the mind’s amazingly sensitive ability to detect danger around us. In fact our brains are so sensitive to danger and threats to our safety that it is constantly monitoring the external environment for potential danger. And when that environment is a house or room or desk of disarray, it is constantly on high alert. Your minds attention is being pulled in numerous different directions – which doesn’t sound very relaxing to me.
For a Free SAMPLE of The Guidebook to Happiness CLICK HERE
To Order a Copy now on Amazon.com CLICK HERE
Maybe before we can answer that question we might need to look at what this ‘happiness’ thing is first.
In The Guidebook to Happiness, I suggest that happiness is quite unique for all of us. For some it is more about a sense of peace, for others it is joy, for others it is about connection, or doing something that has true and deeper meaning for yourself. I them went on to say, or for most of us, it is probably a combination of all of these things, in our own little unique cocktail blend. But the big thing that is common with all of these things is that they are a ‘FEELING’. So with anything that we consider will lead to our happiness – the new job, the new partner, the new car, new house, money in the bank, great health, the world trip, etc. – the end result we are after with all of these is a FEELING or emotion.
“I want (add your greatest desire) because I think it will make me FEEL (add your definition of what happiness might entail for you).
So for me, being a strategist, I then ask. “Is there a way to cut out the middle person?” so I can just start feeling the good stuff now. And on paper, in theory, that is exactly what is possible. I can just practice generating the feeling, because my incredible mind and body can replicate the images, thoughts and chemical cocktail that makes it possible.
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Carl Massy on the Huffington Post
Interview with Erin Michelle Threlfall for the Huffington Post on February 28, 2013.
Meet Carl Massy. A life coach and expert strategist, Carl is the author of The Guidebook to Happiness, a fabulous little read with practical solutions for experiencing real happiness. He is the CEO and founder of the World’sBIGGESTGym and has a remarkably diverse bio which includes retirement from the Australian Military, service to the Olympics as a Security Consultant, Fitness Instructor, NLP Master Practitioner, Hypnotherapist and Reiki Master.
Carl has been studying the science of happiness and testing out what some of the leading happiness experts have to say for more than a decade. Here, Carl shares a bit about his happiness journey with us.
View the entire article on this link or download article here