…They really do work!
Good News! Finally, there is scientific research to back up what psychologists and therapists have been saying for years; acting on what makes people happy has a powerful effect on their lives. In other words, the pursuit of happiness doesn’t happen to people because they are just lucky; on the contrary, bliss occurs by actively monitoring your current thoughts and actively practicing new ones.
One way to accomplish this is by affirming daily positive thinking. The practice of positive affirmations was hilariously satirized by the SNL T.V. skit known as “Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley”. Smalley was played by actor/comedian Al Franken who sat in front of a mirror reciting phrases like “I’m Good Enough, and Smart Enough and Doggone it People Like Me”!
Along with Franken and the SNL gang of writers, the practices of Positive Psychology recently gained a boost from Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky. Lyubomirsky, a research psychologist at the University of California at Riverside, published the results of her study on the brain and happiness in her book entitled, The How of Happiness. She essentially came up with the brain-pie diagram that illustrates how 50% of our happiness relates to genetics, 10% to environment, leaving 40% to what we do and how we think. This 40% is not only a significant chunk but also reinforcement for those currently practicing their positive daily affirmations!
So, for those of you who want to get on board and up your happiness quotient, you can take a cue from Stuart. Write down some phrases that resonate with how you would like to feel and act; then repeat, repeat, repeat ! Because as Stuart always says,
“Practice makes perfect and doggone it I’m worthy”!
Laura DelleDonne-Schmidt, LMHC, CHt. Director:North Star Counseling Services.
Master Practitioner Rapid Resolution Therapy® and Rapid Trauma Resolution®.
Available Skype and Webcam Sessions.
