Authentic Happiness

Hello Friends & Fam...

I want to share a little nugget of empowerment that I have received lately.  As it's in our nature to seek more happiness, fulfillment and meaning, I felt compelled to pass this along. 
A Univ. of Pennsylvania psychologist, Martin Seligman, has devoted his career to studying the art of happiness.  Through his studies he found that happy people from all walks of life shared particular ways of interacting with life, and he has created something of a blueprint for people to follow to live truly happy lives.  

He suggests that one of the main ingredients to being truly happy is to come to know your core character values and strengths and then to go about your days living in alignment with those values and strengths.  

Choosing to act and be in the world in ways that are in alignment with our unique strengths can become a great source of energy and power. In becoming more clear about our strengths, we can become clear on what feeds our soul. The more we feed these strengths, the more energy and empowerment we generate within ourselves.  In other words, doing things that we are naturally good at energizes us and increases our happiness.  

Don't get me wrong, I know that most everyone practices this to a certain extent already.  I'm just liking the idea of being actively aware of it as I practice it.  Maybe you will too.  

If you're interested in learning more for yourself what your strengths and values are, you can go to this website:http://www.authentichappiness.org.  Halfway down the page under Engagement Questionaires you can take the VIA (virtues in action) Survey of Character Strengths. It's 240 questions that will score your top character strengths.  

Once you take the survey and get a better understanding of your strengths, all you have to do is actively practice doing what it tells you you're already good at.  And boom, there you go, more happiness!  It's as easy as baking a cake.  We just have to follow a recipe that has worked for others all along.

Alright, that's what I wanted to share.  I had some free time and thought maybe some happiness could increase in your lives, as it has in mine lately.  I hope some of you find this as valuable as I have.