Transcript:

While there is a lot of self help and self improvement gurus out there explaining about how to be happy, research has shown that most of these techniques may temporarily boost your happiness but most people soon return to what for them is a certain consistent base level of happiness. But there is one technique that research has shown dramatically and consistently raises people’s reported base level happiness.

My name is Shaun McMillan, and this is the best class ever.

Gratitude Journal

Thankfulness journaling has proven to be one of the most reliable ways to improve your happiness. It’s so simple. Just take out a sheet of paper and write out five things that you are really thankful for. Or start a thankfulness journal and choose a couple days out of the week to take notice of the good things happening in your life.

Last week we mentioned some educational YouTube channels, and there are quite a few of them that have videos dedicated to some of this research. My favorite of these is the one by Kurzgesagt titled, “The Antidote to Dissatisfaction.” Don’t try searching for it because this YouTube channel’s name is the single most difficult channel name I have ever come across. I’m not even sure how to pronounce it. Kurzgesagt. Kurshgesaught. Kur-zghee-sajet?

Anyways, they make a beautifully designed gratitude journal. John Green even made a video about it. It’s great, especially for beginners.

For me, I personally wake up early every morning to pray and meditate. I have managed to keep up this habit ever since I graduated college so I consider myself a pro. And occasionally I like to write out my thoughts as opposed to just silently thinking because me, alone with my thoughts, can easily lead to wandering or thinking in circles. Handwriting is slower and that friction allows me to focus and keep my thoughts focused more easily.

Small Victories Lead to Big Victories

In doing this I always start out by listing out five to ten things I am really thankful for. It really is the best way to start your day and leads to positive thinking throughout your day. Starting with this small victory gives you the confidence to try and achieve more small victories leading to a positive feedback loop that operates like a flywheel. A flywheel is part of the engine that is hard to turn the first time, but then uses its own momentum to generate more and more speed more and more easily. Stopping to notice the good things that have happened in your life, and starting the day well creates what we call the flywheel effect. A good morning leads to a good day, and a good day leads to good daily habits. And your life is almost entirely constituted of your daily habits. They will make or break you.

Fresh Cold Exposure

Another great way to start your day is with some cold. Getting exposed to cold weather, or taking a cold shower is a great way to really make you feel fully alive. Especially if you willfully expose yourself to it. You have to try it for yourself to feel how empowering it is. Exercise, cold exposure, and even just intentionally take a cold shower for just an instant after taking a hot shower are all forms of intentionally choosing to stress your body in a positive way. This causes you to breathe properly and get oxygen into your blood circulation. It feels great.

It’s also a very easy physical way to change your mentality. Instead of being a victim to whom things just happen to, you intentionally take on challenges and become a person who affects change, each and every day in your own small ways. It may seem small, but every great movement for change, even on a societal level, starts as a tiny idea that someone takes action on.

Good Things

When I was a teacher my school sponsored me to go to a workshop called, “Capturing Kids Hearts.” It introduced a lot of great techniques, but the one that I really appreciate these days is one called good things. Every time you gather, have a small group, or start a class you ask one simple question. You ask someone to volunteer to tell everyone about one good thing that has happened to them recently. It starts the group on a positive note. It may seem like a small thing, and it is, but life is full of small things, and the sooner you learn to take notice of those good small things, the sooner great big things will happen.

Social Thankfulness Journaling

Lastly I want to share about a young group of second generation Korean Americans I work with. They meet and keep up with each other through the internet. I introduced this idea to the young guy who leads the group, and he liked it so much that he asked to start posting their list of gratitude publicly for each other in the forum to see. I thought it was a good idea, but I was skeptical that anyone would keep doing this over a prolonged period of time. This was nearly a year ago, and to my surprise, a great many of the kids he asked to do this are still posting their thankfulness lists amongst each other over these many months. He started a group doing it in Korea, Australia, America, and Canada. I am really amazed.

So if you want to feel happy, and who doesn’t, simply get out a sheet of paper and try to think of five to ten things you really appreciate in your life. Write them down, in detail, and have yourself a really happy insightful moment. Then do it again a few days later, and encourage someone to also.