Give Your Happiness Baseline a Boost
Every human as a baseline standard of happy, but how do we move that baseline up to be even more happy? (Hint: It involves smiling!)
When I wrote my book How To Design A Life Worth Smiling About, I did a LOT of research. Everything from science to psychology with so many fascinating studies. One of the things I learned is that human beings have what they call a “Happiness Baseline.” Everyone has moments of being sad, and moments of being really joyful, but no matter what, after a period of time, we all go back to our happiness baseline.
Let’s say someone wins the lottery. Woo! They have some major happiness for awhile, but then they go back to their financial status from where they were (if they aren’t worse off) before because they spent their winnings. It’s the same idea with the happiness baseline.
The real question is here is this: How do we INCREASE our happiness baseline? How do we get happier?
This is my suggestion. There is a quote by a man named Sivananda Saraswati that says, “Make others truly happy as you strive to make yourself happy. Speak a helpful word. Give a cheering smile. Do a kind act. Serve a little. Wipe the tears of one who is in distress. Render smooth a rough place in another’s path. You will feel great joy.”
When we seek to make others happy, give joy to others, and find ways to serve, that happiness comes back to you.
I want to encourage you all this week to start giving out smile moments like you give out gift cards, or in the spirit of the holidays, like you would give out Christmas cards or greeting cards — Give out smile moments.
The Clay Analogy
If you were to take a lump of pristine white clay and add a few drops of red dye into it, that clay is going to turn pink. The more dye you add, the redder it gets. You knead that clay, but no matter how much you work it, that red color isn’t coming out. Once it’s there, it’s there for good! The only way to make it whiter again is to add more pristine white clay. The clay will never be as white as it once was, but we can dilute the red coloring.
Anger and resentment are the red dye, and smile moments and acts of kindness are the white clay. If we can give out smile moments more, we can dilute some of the negativity that is out there in the world.
A Personal Example
I had ordered a glass cabinet, and when the FedEx guy arrived with it, I could see on the camera that I have on my front porch that he threw it onto the porch, which, as you would expect, shattered the glass. I had to report that for insurance purposes, and when the delivery guy came again the next day, I said to him, “Hey, I’m sorry, but I had to report what happened yesterday and how you broke my cabinet.” I was being nice about it, and though the guy should have a heads up. Well, the guy was nasty to me, and even swore at me. I have all of that on camera, and had to submit that to report the delivery driver now because that’s just unacceptable.
Smile moments aren’t about turning a blind eye or the other cheek and accept that people can be like this; there are times when we need to call people out on their actions.
Well, we had a new delivery guy the next time, and he was struggling with this heavy box. He didn’t have a cart, and he was not having an easy time getting that box to my front door. I went out the door to go greet and help him, and I said, “I’m sorry, man. I know these boxes are so heavy. Is this it?” The delivery guy shook his head. “No, I’ve got 6 more in the truck.” I said, “Oh, geez! Let me help you with those! I’ve got a cart.” So, long story short, I’m out in the street with my cart, helping the delivery guy (his name is Mike), and we’re loading it up, and pushing the cart together, and as we got the last box up to the house, he said, “Man, I wish I had more customers like you. Thank you for the help.”
Now, I’m not saying that to make this about me, I’m using this as an example of how I had the privilege of giving Mike a smile moment. He was working hard, struggling to get his deliveries made. Maybe there was some red dye in his clay, and maybe he had a few negative people he delivered things to, and I had the chance to add a little white clay to his life and put a little joy back into the world. It’s my contribution back out into the Universe.
Go out into the world and try to put a smile on someone’s face every day, and that will help put a smile back on yours.
What’s Next?
Are you ready to start taking things to the Next Level®? We have everything you need to develop new skills and master the ones you already have!
Power Agents®, for some great ideas on how to spread some love, make your clients SMILES with the amazing content in the Greeting Cards tab in the Classroom. If you haven’t yet, peek into the Time and Money Management tab as well for some tips and tricks to work on the business side of real estate.
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