05 May Happiness – is there a secret?
The secret to a happy life
By Sharon Labi May 03, 2008 10:00pm
HAPPINESS is what everyone wants but do you get it by meditating or by buying a yacht? Or maybe the secret is as simple as meditating about buying a yacht.
Thousands of people in pursuit of happiness will this week hear from international experts just how little money matters to achieving their goal.
What money will buy them, however, is a seat at the Happiness And Its Causes conference, which will tell them that stable relationships, optimistic thinking and practising gratitude are among the most powerful sources of happiness.
Happiness Institute founder Dr Tim Sharp says practising appreciation, interpreting things in a constructive way to get through difficult times, learning to communicate more effectively and being both more loving and empathic are all useful strategies.
“There are some lucky people who are just born happy but most of us need to work at it,” he said.
Dr Sharp, who will speak at the two-day conference, said external circumstances such as how wealthy you are account for only a tiny portion of happiness.
“It’s not a bad thing to have lots of money, live in a big house and drive a fast car but the contribution they will make to your happiness is much smaller than what most people think … there are lots of wealthy people who are unhappy.”
To read the remainder of this happiness story – click here