Happy For No Reason

Boy I sure wish that I could be Happy For No Reason pretty much all the time. If I am happy its for a reason, I just won the lottery, I just finished the laundry, or I just ate a great meal. I won a book in a blog contest about a year ago Called Happy For No Reason by Marci Shimoff 7 steps to being happy from the inside out. I haven't even thumbed through the pages yet. I took it off my book shelf with 100 other titles of the same nature. Dusted it off and thought ok today is the day I will read at least one chapter. It looks as if I might just start this later in the week. Can you tell I am procrastinating here. I like to read don't get me wrong. But like I said before self help books are hiding way back in the garbage can waiting to be thrown at someone who mentions another book.

This comes from an except off her web page: What would it take to make you happy? A fulfilling career, a big bank account, or the perfect mate? What if it didn't take anything to make you happy? What if you could experience happiness from the inside out -- no matter what's going on in your life?

In Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out, transformational expert Marci Shimoff offers a breakthrough approach to being happy, one that doesn't depend on achievements, goals, money, relationships, or anything else "out there." Most books on happiness tell you to find the things that make you happy and do more of them. Although there's nothing wrong with that, it won't bring you the kind of deep and lasting happiness most people long for -- the kind you'll never lose, no matter what happens in your life. Based on cutting-edge research and knowledge from the world's leading experts in the fields of positive psychology and neurophysiology, plus interviews with 100 truly happy people, this life-changing book provides a powerful, proven 7-step program that will enable you to be happier right now -- no matter where you start.

You don't have to have happy genes, win the lottery, or lose twenty pounds. By the time you finish this book, you will know how to experience sustained happiness for the rest of your life. Sounds good to me....


 There is also a test you can to see just how happy go lucky you are:

The Happy for No Reason Questionnaire

 

The following Happy for No Reason questionnaire is modeled after the tests that Positive Psychology researchers use to determine people's happiness levels--with one important difference! Most happiness questionnaires are "state-dependent"; that is, they ask you to rate your happiness according to what's going on in your life (job, career, relationships, and so on) and how satisfied you are with your life circumstances. Those questionnaires measure Happy for Good Reason. This questionnaire is completely unique; it measures Happy for No Reason, or your happiness level from the inside out.

 

As you answer these questions, think about how they apply to you in general.

 

Rate each statement on a scale of 1 to 5:

 

1 = Not at all true

2 = Slightly True

3 = Moderately True

4 = Mostly True

5 = Absolutely True

 

1. I often feel happy and satisfied for no particular reason.
   1      2      3      4      5
    
2. I live in the moment.
   1      2      3      4      5
    
3. I feel alive, vital and energetic.
   1      2      3      4      5
    
4. I experience a deep sense of inner peace and well-being.
   1      2      3      4      5
    
5. Life is a great adventure for me.
   1      2      3      4      5
    
6. I don't let bad situations keep me down.
   1      2      3      4      5
    
7. I am enthusiastic about the things I do.
   1      2      3      4      5
    
8. Most days I have an experience of laughter or joy
   1      2      3      4      5
    
9. I trust this is a friendly universe.
   1      2      3      4      5
    
10. I look for the gift or the lesson in everything that happens.
    1      2      3      4      5
     
11. I am able to let go and forgive
    1      2      3      4      5
     
12. I feel love for myself.
    1      2      3      4      5
     
13. I look for the good in every person.
    1      2      3      4      5
     
14. I change the things I can and accept the things I can't change.
    1      2      3      4      5
     
15. I surround myself with people who support me
    1      2      3      4      5
     
16. I don't blame others or complain.
    1      2      3      4      5
     
17. My negative thoughts don't overshadow me.
    1      2      3      4      5
     
18. I feel a general sense of gratitude.
    1      2      3      4      5
     
19. I feel connected to something bigger than myself.
    1      2      3      4      5
     
20. I feel inspired by a sense of purpose in my life.
    1      2      3      4      5

 

Scoring section:

If your score is 80 - 100: To a great degree, you are Happy for No Reason.

If your score is 60 - 79: You have a good measure of being Happy for No Reason.

If your score is 40 - 59: You have glimpses of being Happy for No Reason.

If your score is under 40: You have little experience of being Happy for No Reason.

 

Whatever your score, don't be discouraged. Science tells that we have control over at least 40% of the factors that determine our individual happiness levels. So, it doesn't matter where you begin; what matters is that you do begin. Reading my book Happy for No Reason will enable you to be happier right away. Once you've been practicing the seven steps and the Happiness Habits listed in the book, take the questionnaire again. After that, assessing your Happy for No Reason score on a regular basis will help you chart your progress.