Season’s Greetings!

The holiday season is here. We are busy with holiday events, spending time with family and friends, creating (and enjoying) delicious foods and in search of perfect gifts.

We all want to be happy during the holidays and in our lives. Most of the things we do, we do in order to become happy.

Happiness is an attitude, a perspective on life that some people have and others do not. Some of us say ‘count our blessings’ and our cup is half full while others only notice ‘what’s wrong’ and say their cup is half empty.

The great news is that everyone has the chance to be happy. It is a perspective that we can choose and there are things that we can do in our lives to become happier.

Many studies have been conducted on the characteristics that happy people share and I would like to present some of them to you. Each of these key characteristics is a huge topic in itself; my objective is to raise your awareness. By starting to think about them, they will set you off in the right direction. Also, take note that they are largely to do with our relationships with others and oneself, not with material things. An interesting point as we make choices this holiday season.

Happy people feel connected.

Feeling connected to yourself, other people, nature or even a higher power is important for your happiness. This may mean taking the time to connect with yourself/your values, to meditate, to pray, and to spend quality time with the most important people in your life. What are 1-2 ways that you can feel more connected to yourself and others during this holiday season?

Happy people think about others as well as themselves.

Thinking about others as well as yourself, is key to happiness. Outward focus works as a virtuous circle with happiness. The happier you are, the more you want to think of others and the more you think of others, the happier you become. What are 1-2 ways in which you could do something for others (including people you do not know)?

Happy people feel in control of their lives.

Control can come from knowing what you want from your life, from goal setting, from being focused. Part of feeling in control is having an ability to live in the present and being able to prepare for the future rather than living in the past. What are 1-2 areas that you feel out of control – what could help you feel more in control?

Happy people have the ability to get absorbed in what they are doing.

This is about being actively involved in a meaningful activity, whether at work or at play. Happy people have moments when they lose themselves in something – it might be going for a walk outdoors, a conversation with a loved one or perhaps doing something totally absorbing at work. It is not about being passive like watching TV or surfing the net – it’s about being actively involved. In terms of happiness at work, being involved in a meaningful activity has been shown to be more important than a good salary. What are 1-2 activities that totally absorb you - how and when can you do them more often?

Happy people are wise.

Wisdom is being able to understand and deal with all the challenges we encounter in our daily lives. It’s not that happy people don’t have problems; it’s just that those with wisdom can understand what the problem is and work out how to resolve it. They stay objective rather than becoming overly emotional. What are 1-2 decisions in which you recently accessed your wisdom – what did you learn?

The lives of happy people have a meaning or purpose.

In order to achieve a feeling of total happiness, happy people often have a meaning or purpose to their lives. What this meaning or purpose is, is of course, totally up to them, but having it gives them a deeper feeling of happiness. They are living a life that honours their values. What are 1-2 things that bring meaning or purpose to your life?

These six characteristics are just scratching the surface of happiness. Happiness is not about what has or is happening to you, but how you choose to respond to what happens.

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”

Helen Keller

Which doors are opening for you?

Give the Gift of Life Balance and a Fulfilling Life to yourself and the people you love. We offer gifts to fit all budgets.

These are gifts that last a lifetime.

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Gift Certificates to fit all budgets. Customized to your meet your needs. To purchase a gift certificate, email: evamarie@gemlifecoaching.com, or call 416-237-1986.

All gifts are beautifully wrapped and presented.

For a complete listing of GEM Life Coaching’s Services and Workshops:

There is a strong link between Happiness and Gratitude.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

- Melody Beattie