"Happiness is a state of mind. An unquenchable thirst and insatiable hunger for happiness is what all of us search outwardly for every second we are awake but the true secret to finding happiness comes from looking inward.
Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it."
Groucho Marx
Practising being happy may sound crazy but actually it is exactly what you must do to be successful and feel those happiness feelings. It is a matter of will power. Your subconscious mind is a powerful computer that doesn't make mistakes so will feed back to you whatever you program it with.
If you really yearn to be happy, set yourself goals that commands your thoughts, liberate your energy, and inspire your hopes because without hope, happiness will evade us all. I believed money was the key to my happiness. The reason I worked tirelessly to build a business and make my fortune. I learnt the hard way we cannot buy a life at Harrods, only stuff to put in a life, so money can make you less vulnerable but not always happy. The amount of happiness you have in your life will depend on how free you are in your heart and being happy is something we have to learn by meditation, feeling centered, optimistic and grateful for this thing we call life. Happiness is very attractive to others and creates a general feeling of well-being, helping create positive energy to be a more productive society.
In 2011 in the UK, PM at the time David Cameron made it his mission to put the nation's happiness at the heart of his political agenda. In my opinion it was right to do this happiness study and would welcome this thinking picked up by future leaders.
I am a social entrepreneur I have built a people over profit brand from scratch, making my clothes in the UK from British textiles, paying people properly and competing successfully. I know this is the only way for my fashion business to be sustainable over the long term.
Happiness economics suggest that measures of public happiness should be used to supplement more traditional economic measures when evaluating the success of public policy. In simple terms if government decisions are not fundementally making us, the people happier (instead of the traditional fiscal focus on affluence and taxation) that would indicate failure.
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
Dalai Lama
Photo by: Mark Daynes Unsplash