Help The World Catch The Happy Bug
When I woke up yesterday and heard the news of the Virginia shooting I cried. It broke my heart.
America isn’t without its problems but most of them would be solvable. We, the voters, need to start electing candidates based on their willingness to find bi-partisan solutions instead of their ability to sound byte their party ideology. Bi-partisanship is the cornerstone of a democracy. If you’ve forgotten that, watch the HBO John Adams mini-series for a reminder of the many compromises our Founding Fathers made.
This charity baseball game was one of the few unifying things Congress does. I hope they have a sell-out. If I lived closer I’d go.
#HappinessUnites
It’s easy to dislike someone we don’t know. It’s almost impossible to dislike someone who we bond with over uniting experiences. One thing that unites citizens of the United States is that we are all Americans. Even when we have different ideas about solutions for problems, we still live in a great country. A country that we all love, a country that we want to become even greater for our kids.
Last week the Society announced the theme for Happiness Happens Month: #HappinessUnites. We need to start living this theme now. We need to look at our family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and even strangers with the goal to recognize what unites us beyond pain.
I’m sending love, prayers and peace to everyone affected by yesterday’s shooting. I’m also asking each of you to join me and show the world that what unites us is far bigger than what divides us. Let’s fill our lives with more happiness. Then let’s share that happiness on social media. Happiness is contagious. Help the world catch the happy bug.
Written by Pamela Gail
Pamela Gail Johnson founded the Society of Happy People in 1998.
The Society is grounded on Pamela’s four key Practical Happiness Principles:
Pamela identified 31 Types of Happiness that are on the SOHP App Happiness Counter to make it easier to recognize moments of happiness.
Pamela also plans and organizes the Society of Happy People's annual happiness celebrations:
She's also a speaker, trainer, and author.
A few of her personal smile starters include her monthly book club, yoga, traveling and meeting new happy people.
Happiness starts with ME! I need to remember that. Genuine happiness spreads over all obstacles and every difference that people might believe they have. Even seeing a happy person just once from across the room or across the street or online will affect another person, whose smile will affect another, and on and on.
Do something for yourself: something that makes you happy all through. It can be anything that gives you that wonderful feeling that at this moment, happiness is mine. Chances are you’ll be too happy to think about it, and that’s even better.
You can do it! Play in the sand box. Roll down a grassy slope. Watch out for playground slides, though, it’s really embarrassing to discover, half-way down, that your hips are too wide and now you’re stuck fast. But that’s funny, and giggles are good. Take belly-dance lessons, learn to cook, ride a horse, learn to fix your own car. Whatever appeals to you! Whether you do it well or not is irrelevant. It’s the doing that matters.
Your happiness will spread to those who know you and those who only notice someone having fun, or smiling happily because you can’t help it. Go for it! Be happy!