Finding Happiness: Article for Oprah.com

On Friday this week I will wrap up another Be Happy 8-week happiness course, held in London, UK. The end of the program always feels bittersweet to me. I am already grieving and I am so grateful for the journey we have been on. And it’s not over yet!

For the last eight weeks a group of fifty people have participated in a deep inquiry into life’s #1 goal: happiness. The theme for this year has been, giving up the search for happiness. In particular, we have explored the difference between “searching for happiness” and “following your joy.” The “searching” paradigm takes you outside of yourself and focuses forever on the future; the “following” paradigm helps you to meet yourself and to live more fully in the present tense.

Over eight weeks we have worked our way through a series of workshops, home study modules, daily e-mails, and have also participated on an online discussion board. We have explored the #1 Happiness Principle, The Self-Acceptance Formula, Healing Unhappiness, The Happiness Scale, 100 Gratitudes, the Receiving Meditation, the Forgiveness Principle, our Family Story about happiness, and much more. It has been a rich inquiry, and I am grateful to everyone who has participated.

Stephanie Mitchell for Oprah.com interviewed me recently about the Be Happy 8-week program. Her article is entitled Find True Happiness. In the interview Stephanie outlines ten ways to be a finder, not a searcher. She captures the spirit of my work very well.

The next Be Happy 8-week course will be held in London, in October-November 2010. You can book your place now.

Real Happiness: What is the Real More you Want?

Anna Pasternak (pictured left), author and journalist, attended the recent Real More workshop held over two days in central London. She has written a personal account of her experience that was published in the Daily Mail on August 24th. Her article is entitled “More Please: More money, more security, more certainty... would it really make us any happier?” Anna’s trademark style is hugely personal, insightful, and witty. Whatever she writes about she always gets to the heart of the matter. Her article is a great read.

Have you heard of the term “static happiness?” Ever since happiness researchers have measured happiness and well-being levels they have noticed an interesting phenomenon that is, in spite of the fact that we have more of everything we say we want we are not any happier. For example, in the US, when people were asked in 1940 to score their happiness, the average answer was 7.5 out of 10. Most recently, the average answer is 7.2 out of 10. There are similar scores for the UK, Japan, Australia and other countries.

Try this exercise: take a moment to score how happy you were, on average, from 0 to 10, when you were 7 years old. For example, 7.5 out of 10. Next, score how happy you were when you were 16 years old, 21 years old, 5 years ago, last year, and today. What do your scores tell you about your relationship to happiness? Are you happier today than before? Are you suffering from “static happiness?” And what about the future? How happy do you think you will be in one year’s time? And in five year’s time?

What is the real more that would help you to be happier - starting from now? Think not just about “getting” and “having” and “attracting” and “receiving”; but also about “being” and “giving” and “noticing” and “appreciating.” Give this important question some of your best attention. You have the answer within you right now. As Anna Pasternak highlights in her article: the key to happiness isn’t more stuff; it’s more clarity.

The Real More workshop received rave reviews, and we will definitely be running it again next year. Dates will be announced soon.

Good Morning America! - 5 Ways to Be Happy NOW

I have just come home after being interviewed by THE Diane Sawyer of Good Morning America in New York. The interview was a JOY to do and they have already uploaded it on the GMA website: BE HAPPY - RELEASE THE POWER OF HAPPINESS IN YOU

The great thing was that my wife, Hollie and our daughter, Bo, got to be in the studio while I was on air! And so too was Ian Lynch, the Happiness Project Office Manager, whose birthday it is today! Happy Birth day Ian!

Interview: Be Happy for KUSI San Diego TV

Over the last few weeks I have been travelling across America giving talks, workshops, and interviews on my latest book, Be Happy. Some of my personal highlights include visits to the I Can Do It! Conference in San Diego, the Unity Church in Houston, and Kripalu in Massachusetts.

Happiness is an important subject to us all, and this is especially true now in these difficult economic times.  Media interest in my work has been very high.  Attendances for my talks and workshops on Be Happy have been healthy.  And on the day of its launch, Be Happy went straight into the top 100 on Amazon. 

The recession is causing us to rethink our life.  In particular, it is making us think what true happiness is, what blocks our happiness, and also what can help us to enjoy greater happiness.  To see another recent TV interview I did for KUSI TV in San Diego, click here. 

Interview: Kripalu and Fox TV

I have just enjoyed a wonderful weekend at Kripalu, a retreat center for yoga, health, and holistic living, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts.  I was there to give a three-day workshop on Be Happy.  My wife Hollie and daughter Bo came too.  We loved it.  Thank you Denise Barack, for the invite.  Thank you to those who attended the workshop.  And thank you to everyone who made us feel so welcome.

The Kripalu program is packed with inspiring offerings on health and wellness, science and spirituality, creativity and yoga.  While I was there I had the pleasure of meeting Bob Thurman who was facilitating a workshop on Everyday Yoga and also Michael Beckwith who was teaching on Spiritual Liberation.  I would definitely recommend Kripalu.  Great programs.  Great location.  Great people.  Great food!

On Sunday afternoon, I made a trip over to Boston, to do an interview for Fox25 on Be Happy.  It’s five minutes long, and you can watch it here.  

On OPRAH on New Year's Day

Happy New Year to YOU.

The first Oprah show of 2009 is one I appear in. It is called How Happy Are You? Oprah Winfrey and I spend 60 entertaining and enlightening minutes uncovering the real secrets to happiness. The show begins with five members of the public including Lorrie, a mother of six, and David, a funeral director, who take a unique satisfaction test to assess how happy they are. The results are surprising and revealing, with David, the funeral director, top scoring! Afterwards, I coach each of them on how to enjoy greater happiness – starting from now. You can take the happiness test and read a full report on the show now by visiting www.Oprah.com.

In a fast-paced show, Oprah and I cover many key themes including the importance of defining happiness for yourself, and also overcoming common blocks to happiness such as chasing happiness, destination addiction, and leaving yourself out of your own life. The show was seen by millions of TV viewers, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. My book Happiness NOW! was the featured book for the show, and since the broadcast it has risen on the Amazon list to #1 for books on happiness, #2 for self-help books, and into the Top 30 for books overall. The Happiness NOW audio book and perpetual flip calendar are also selling well.

There are some big messages in this Oprah show that are particularly appropriate for the start of a new year. Perhaps the main one is that it is never too late to be happy. One of the key lessons I have learned in my inquiry into happiness is that ALL of the blocks to happiness exist in the past. Anybody who has ever had a past – and that includes you and me - has experienced disappointment, regret, fatigue, wounds, and some unhappiness. The key to enjoying greater happiness now is to learn from the past, but not to let yourself get stuck in the past. Each new present moment is an invitation to begin again and to remember the truth of who you are and what true happiness is.

With that thought in mind, here is an excerpt from my new book Be Happy which is published by Hay House in the US in April 2009.


It is never too late to really be here.
It is never too late to enjoy the moment.
It is never too late to love and be loved.
It is never too late to know the truth.
It is never too late to heal an old wound.
It is never too late to feel the oneness.
It is never too late to let yourself be helped.
It is never too late to be wholly grateful.
It is never too late to be innocent again.
It is never too late to be who you
really are.