Spillerena

Print from Vol25 Etsy Shop

Happy hump day, friends!

Yesterday I came across this wonderful little video and it got me thinking.

Thinking about happiness.

It’s a little animated film called “The Pig of Happiness,” which is based on a book of the same title by Edward Monkton.

(and if you’ve never heard of Edward Monkton you are missing out. He writes adorable short stories that always end with a moral that puts a smile on your face, my favorite of which being A Lovely Love Story.)

The video is about a pig who is just oh so sick of his fellow pigs whining all the day long and being miserable, and he decides that instead of being miserable, he is going to be happy. He makes a decision to be happy. He changes his attitude and eventually he becomes SO HAPPY that the happiness explodes from him and the other pigs start becoming happy, too.

The moral of the story being that happiness is infectious.

So like I said, it got me thinking about happiness. My own happiness.

This quest for happiness so many of us are on.

Lately I feel like happiness, the search for happiness, has become almost… trendy.

From the bestselling book “The happiness Project” to the sequel to that book, to a new award-winning documentary on happiness, it’s kind of everywhere. Everyday I come across tons of articles on the subject, and because finding ways to be happier appeals to me, I generally read them.

They usually say the same stuff (meditate! be more compassionate! love! smile! laugh!) but sometimes i read something that sticks with me.

This article describes one of the biggest obstacles of happiness, something called The When and The If syndrome.

You know what I’m talking about.

“I’ll be happy when“ or “I would be happier if,” etc., etc., etc.

Oh, how many times have I rained on my own parade because of a when or an if!

(too many times)

The article makes a good point: “Happiness isn’t like the rainforest. You don’t have to worry that you’ll use too much and the planet will perish. Actually, the reverse is true. If you’re happy before you get the raise (get married, lose weight, get divorced, etc.) you’ll be more experienced in happiness and more likely to respond with joy when even better stuff comes your way. Happiness is like any other habit: The more you practice it, the more natural it becomes.“

Which kind of goes back to the whole “happiness is infectious” moral of the pig story, no?

Anyway, research on happiness has found that there are three factors that contribute to daily happiness.

Drum roll please….

1. Being part of something that offers a sense of meaning and purpose.

2. Spending time with family and friends.

3. Being kind and helping others.

Simple but fantastic tips, in my humble opinion!

So today, as cheesy as this might sound, I urge you to go and practice some happiness. In whatever form that may come in, go and do something that adds a little more happiness to your day.

(And if you have a few minutes I highly suggest you watch the pig video. It’s four minutes of your day that is pretty much guaranteed to put a smile on your face.)

P.S. Doesn’t the print above remind you of the

LOST minivan that Hurley finds?

Happiness at it finest!