THE SEVEN HABITS OF HAPPINESS
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Exercise Mental stimulation Spiritual/artistic stimulation/meditation Doing a good turn Taking a pleasure break with a friend Giving yourself a treat Congratulating yourself
Figure 45. Seven daily happiness habits
unexpected work pressures. If you travel a lot, ensure that you plan when you will exercise at the same time that you order the tickets, if necessary changing the schedule to accommodate the exercise. If you are a highpowered executive, do not let your secretary put any meetings in the calendar before 10 am, so that you will have plenty of time to exercise and prepare yourself for the day ahead. Another key component of a happy day is mental stimulation. You may obtain this at work but, if not, ensure that there is some intellectual or mental exercise each day. There are a huge number of ways to obtain this, depending on your interests: crossword puzzles, certain newspapers and magazines, reading part of a book, talking for at least 20 minutes to an intelligent friend about an abstract topic, writing a short article or journal entry, in fact, doing anything that requires active thought on your part (watching television, even of the high-brow kind, does not qualify). A third essential daily regime is spiritual or artistic stimulation. This need not be as forbidding as it sounds: all that is required is at least half an hour’s food for the imagination or spirit. Going to a concert, art gallery, theatre or movie all qualify, as do reading a poem, watching the sun rise or set, looking at the stars or attendance at any event where you are stimulated and excited (this can even include a ball game, race meeting, political rally, church or park). Meditation also works well.