As we head into the last week of 2015 it’s time to reflect on successes and failures, and maybe look forward to fewer failures and more successes in 2016. New Year’s resolutions? So predictable, right! Research indicates that very few people make good on those resolutions. While 75% of people stick to their goals for at least a week, less than half (46%) are still on target six months later!

If we can just find that great job, land that next promotion, lose those five kilograms; happiness will follow. According to Shawn Anchor, author of The Happiness Advantage and lecturer in positive psychology at Harvard University in America, that thinking is exactly backwards! Happiness fuels success, not the other way around. Our most commonly held formula for success is turned upside down. Conventional wisdom holds that if we work hard we will be more successful, and if we are more successful, then we will be happy. Happiness research – yes, there is such a thing – reveals that while there’s nothing wrong with deriving happiness from ones success, happiness is a prerequisite for achieving success.

Positive psychology is part of a new exciting field of research which isn’t just an empty mantra. Scientific studies indicate that when we are positive our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive at work. This discovery has repeatedly been proven through rigorous research in psychology and neuroscience, management studies, and the bottom lines of organizations around the globe.

So, seek happiness first, and then success will be more likely to follow. The reason? Happiness increases the release of dopamine within the brain which activates our learning centres – helping us to absorb the information around us.

But, how do we increase our “happiness quotient”? How do we build resiliency to deal with negative events? How do we re-frame or “digest” our life experiences both negative and positive, to be instrumental in influencing our levels of happiness?

Here are a few ideas:
• Identify happiness. What makes you feel happy? Do more of that.
• Be mindful of the present. Seek opportunities to feel positive in the present moment.
• Set small goals and achieve them. Achieving goals will boost your self-esteem. Even if it’s to smile at everybody you see that day. When we take care of smaller goals, the big goals take care of themselves. Reflect on these moments, no matter how small.
• Find your purpose. Not everybody will be the next Madiba, but you can significantly impact the life of your spouse, your child, or a random stranger.
• Invest in good relationships. Some of our greatest sources of happiness are relationships and family. Put effort into them, mend relationships that you regret losing, and end any toxic relationships you have going on.
• Play to your strengths. Find a career that emphasises what you are good at to increase feelings of positivity.
• Be grateful and show gratitude.

Whatever makes you happy should be on repeat throughout 2016. We would like to wish you all a Happy New Year!

Source: www.health.com, www.linkedin.com, www.psychologytoday.com, www.thefinancialist.com, matthewemay.com, www.amazon.com, www.elle.co.za