How to Build a Happiness Habit Despite Difficult Life Challenges

Here's an important truth about happiness: Any sense of satisfaction and happiness with goal achievement, the acquisition of a physical item, and other "wins" fades quickly. 

Why? The human brain did not evolve to keep you happy. It evolved to keep you alive. It scans constantly for threats, for what might go wrong, for what may be scarce. There's a constant drive to acquire more - more money, more food, more status. Most people's attention is scattered and shattered. When attention is focused, it's focused on trying to fill what your fear or ego tells you is missing.

Building Your Happiness Habit

If fear and ego drive our reactions, what is the antidote? The ability to be fully present as your default way of living. How can you do that?

Every day, pick one ordinary thing: Your coffee, the felt sense of water on your skin when you shower, savoring the taste of your food, a conversation where you are fully engaged, a walk in nature noticing the plants, listening to birds, feeling the breeze.  Begin by giving one experience every day your full attention. 

As a happiness habit bonus, each day identify one thing you're grateful for. Take time to experience that sense of gratitude.

Can You Grow Your Sense of Happiness?

In 2014, ABC News anchor Dan Harris wrote a book entitled "10% Happier". His tagline for the 2024 10th anniversary edition reads: 

"How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works--A True Story - A Mindful Story". 

His book sold several hundred thousand copies and was a number one bestseller on the "New York Times" bestseller list.

The Magic of Compounding Happiness

The truth is, however, you don't need to be 10% happier every day. If you increase your sense of happiness by just one percent daily, thanks to compound interest, you're increasing your happiness by more than 3,600 percent or about 37 times your original base happiness level.

This compounding effect works in the opposite direction when you constantly notice what's wrong. You get more of what you notice, more of what you look for. 

It's All About Your Focus

When you focus on what's good, what is life-enriching, what is joyful, it feels like your life is filled with positivity. When you focus on what's wrong, what's missing, what isn't to your liking, your life is filled with negativity and unhappiness.

The Secret to Happiness

The secret: Mindfully attend to what creates a sense of gratitude, a sense of wonder, a sense of deep satisfaction with each present moment. Engage in this practice daily, and you'll experience an ever-growing compound sense of happiness.