Stop chasing happiness
Stop chasing happiness
Stop chasing happiness
Tag. You’re It.
Those three words have been the start of some of the most epic chase games of my childhood. We are taught to chase things from a very early age. We start by chasing each other, but pretty soon, we start to chase everything. We chase popularity, money, achievement, status, relationships, power, retirement, and so much more.
But as a culture, there is one thing we seem to chase above all else…happiness. In 2008, happiness was an 11 billion dollar industry. Today, that number is astronomically higher. There are countless books, podcasts, blogs, and articles claiming to teach us how to be happy. But is all of this “happiness” making us any happier?
The Problem with Happiness
The problem with making happiness the goal is that happiness is an emotion. Just like sadness, fear, excitement, doubt, and shame, happiness does not exist in a vacuum, nor is it a constant state of being. Emotions are fleeting, and when we make them the goal, we are destined for failure.
If happiness is the real goal, rather than pursuing a feeling, our time is better spent engaging in habits, activities, and behaviors that have been scientifically proven to improve well-being. These are the strategies that build our resilience buffer zone by serving as resources to boost mental health, combat stress, and beat burnout.
Some of the items on this list seem so simple, it’s easy to dismiss them. Don’t.
– Sleep
– Non-sleep deep rest (deep breathing, meditation, yoga, etc.)
– Mindfulness
– Gratitude
– Helping others
– Self-compassion
– Time with friends and family
– Laughter
– Activities that bring you joy
– Self-care
– Exercise
– Healthy food
– Vacation
– Device free time
Each of these activities signal safety for your brain, which is in a constant state of threat detection. Your brain could care less if you are happy, it just wants to keep you alive. That means we have to actively let our brain know it is safe.
Rather than the fleeting feeling of happiness, the goal is to learn how to create an enduring state of well-being, regardless of the context. While it may seem counterintuitive, your time is better spent cultivating positive emotions than reducing negative ones.
This week, pay attention to the activities that improve your feeling of well-being and those that decrease it. Track your activities as well as how you feel after spending time doing them. It helps to write these down over several days or weeks so that you can look for trends.
Don’t forget, happiness happens in micro-moments. Pay attention to these delicious moments and savor them.
Subscribe to Anne's #ResilienceReset Email!
Anne breaks down the daily habits and skills needed to grow and cultivate RESILIENCE.
I had an incredible time chatting with @dr.cindyspeaks on Positively Altered about one of my favorite topics >> resilience!
💪 We covered everything from how stress affects the brain to actionable strategies for resetting your resilience and reclaiming balance. Plus… we even talked donkeys!
🎧 Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-23-the-resilience-reset-transforming-stress/id1773804535?i=1000699134975
In this episode, we dive into:
🧠 How to train your brain for resilience
😩 The power of sitting in the “suck”
💡 Simple strategies to reset stress and find balance
If you’re ready to transform stress into strength, this one’s for you!
What is on your to-do list for the week? ✅
I’m sure it includes meetings, tasks, personal chores, and follow-ups, but does it include things that bring you joy?
Instead of waiting for happiness, create it.. You can even focus on enjoyable things while doing the have-to do things.
Slogging through paperwork? Light a candle and listen to your favorite tunes.
Going for a drive? Listen to a stand-up comic or a great book.
Don’t neglect what brings you joy and happiness—make it a ritual and part of your resilience-building routine.
You know that heart-stopping moment when you try to change lanes, only to realize that someone is in your blind spot?
Blind spots aren’t just for driving. In life and leadership, we all have blind spots—things others see clearly that we don’t.
The tricky part? Blind spots aren’t always glaring flaws. Often, they’re our good intentions getting lost in translation. So, how do you uncover them?
Here’s a simple twist that will make a big difference: Ask for advice instead of feedback. 🗣
This slight shift makes people more likely to offer constructive, actionable insights—without triggering defensiveness. Plus, it builds trust and strengthens relationships.
Rather than trying to make drastic changes, pick one behavior and integrate it into your day.
Want to start a gratitude practice? Do it while you brush your teeth. Want to take deep breaths? Practice while you make coffee. Adding a new habit to an existing one makes it easier to stick with it.
#mindfulmonday #habitstacking #atomichabits #jamesclear
Humor changes your biochemistry, emotions, thoughts, and behavior. 😆
A positive mood boosts your immune system! Whether you find your laughter through being around friends, going to a comedy show, watching funny movies, or just being goofy, don’t underestimate the power of a belly laugh and a sense of humor.
When something stressful happens, there are really 2 different things taking place.
There’s the thing that is happening, and then there is the story that you tell yourself about the thing that’s happening.
The story is where criticism, judgment, self-doubt, and shame come in.
Whatever you have going on in your life right now, take a step back and try to view it from a third-person perspective. See if you can separate the facts from the story you tell yourself about it.
If we can start to separate the situation from the story, the story becomes much less scary because we realize it is one we’re telling.
This makes it easier to accept where you are without judgment, self-doubt, and shame. What we practice grows stronger. 📕
Anne Grady is a Speaker, Author, and #TruthBomb Dropper.
Anne shares practical strategies that can be applied both personally and professionally to improve relationships, navigate change, and triumph over adversity. And she’ll make you laugh while she does it. Anne is a two time TEDx speaker, and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fast Company and Inc. magazines, CNN, ESPN, and FOX Business. She is the best selling author of 52 Strategies for Life, Love & Work and Strong Enough: Choosing Courage, Resilience and Triumph.