Wanted: Chief Happiness Officer

I was flicking through the Sunday papers today and came across an article by psychologist and executive coach, Dr. Timothy Sharp, called Against the Odds.

It was about how easy victories don't bring much satisfaction, whereas well-fought battles invariably do. How true is that! It was an interesting, upbeat article, but what really caught my attention was Dr. Timothy's bio:

"Dr. Sharp is a best-selling author, a corporate speaker and consultant, and Chief Happiness Officer at The Happiness Institute."

Chief Happiness Officer...wow - some job, huh! I checked out The Happiness Institute's site. The company offers coaching and courses as well as happiness books, CD's & tapes and workbooks.

You can even take a free happiness test or sign up to Dr. Happy's e-newsletter. Once you subscribe to the newsletter, you can download a free e-book about happiness.

I'm feeling happier having used the word 10 times so far in this post - imagine how happy Dr Happy, the Chief Happiness Officer of The Happiness Institute must be!

The e-book was based on the philosphy that:

• Happiness is the ultimate purpose in life
• Happiness is achievable, for all of us
• Happiness is determined more by our minds than by our circumstances
• The disciplines that will lead to and enhance happiness (such as helpful thinking and good habits) can be learned and mastered, with practice.

It provides 21 tips about how to incorporate happiness into our lives, starting with Tip #1: make happiness a priority. It's one of those obvious things, but one that's nice to be reminded of occasionally.

It also got me thinking that we are all (or should be) Chief Happiness Officers. We are all utimately responsible for our own happiness - relying on other people to provide for it for us usually leaves us feeling underwhelmed or disappointed.

Dr. Happy's e-book is a timely reminder about the basics of happiness, and definitely worth a read. Check it out!

Be positive about your health!

I'm sure we all know someone who loves to bask in their ill health.

New research suggests that people who focus on ill heath (whether it is perceived or real) could actually be talking themselves into illness, and even an early death.



















Healthy Pages reports on an article in the Medical Care journal, where researchers from Duke University discovered the astonishing difference in survival rate for 3,000 heart patients who were requested to describe their health as 'poor' or 'very good', irrespective of their condition. Those who said 'very good' were three times more likely to survive.

"This report supports the results from Johns Hopkins University who questioned 5,000 people over 65 years of age about their health. Those who said 'poor', regardless of their actual condition doubled their risk of death within five years."

A positive attitude about health can ward off mental distress and may help provide important protection against diseases," says Professor Gunnar Engstrom, MD, from Lund University, Sweden."

The article also goes on to suggest that laughter can play a huge role in physiological stimulation that leads to a number of health benefits by reducing stress, and boosting antibodies that fight infection.

Holistic therapies such as massage and reflexology have similar benefits, in that they have also been proven to reduce stress, and improve the body's circulatory systems - which assist in the production of antibodies.

Next time that person you know is moaning about their ill health, suggest that they watch a funny movie, have a giggle or have a massage!