Let your inner child out to play 

Yesterday I saw something I haven’t ever seen before. Two young people (and I mean young – maybe 9 or 10) who independently set up a little stall by the side of the river here in York to sell homemade cakes (in the case of the first) and in the case of the second, to play a toy violin. For pocket money. Very Alan Sugar.

Accepting yourself, playing to your strengths and understanding how you fit into the big picture.

Today’s Happiness challenge is one of my very favourite techniques and it's definitely going to form one of the core Happiness Habits when we get to the next stage of our Adventure. It is probably the single most effective thing for moving anyone from miserable to magnificent and it takes no more than a few moments a day.

It is cultivating an attitude of gratitude.

Your positive words have power

Almost halfway through the first 21 days of your Happiness Adventure. Congratulations! I know from the feedback I’m getting, that many of you are truly embracing the journey.

And today it’s time to think about your power to craft positive words to inspire you to happiness.

Happiness grows through connections with people

Arguably the most successful networking group worldwide, BNI, operates on the principle of “givers gain.” This means that first you give (in this case business referrals) in the spirit of abundance and then you naturally receive the same back from fellow members. One big virtuous circle.

Learning habits of optimism and choosing positive thoughts and emotions.

One of the great modern gurus of happiness, Martin Seligman, has identified three significant factors that distinguish optimists from pessimists. The pessimist believes that all bad things that happen to them are:

PERSONAL – “it’s all my fault/they’re all out to get me.”
PERVASIVE – “it’s going to affect every area of my life.”
PERMANENT – “It’s going to last forever; this is how my life will be now.”

Give, be kind and contribute