Carver County is happy! How about you?

What makes you happy? Have you heard that Carver County ranked as “The Happiest Place in America” according to a recent study by SmartAsset, a personal finance company? Yes, Carver County ranked first among 980 counties in the United States that have a population over 50,000. Categories contributing to the final ranking included: unemployment rate, poverty rate, affordability ratio, marriage rate, divorce rate, bankruptcy rate, life expectancy and physical activity rate. Congratulations, well done, Carver County!

This got us thinking about happiness and how to be happy. I (Lynn) was fortunate to be a trainer for Martin Seligman, Ph.D., and Ben Dean, Ph.D.in the Authentic Happiness Coaching program. We worked with hundreds of people around the world to help them be more authentically happy and have meaningful lives.

Dr. Seligman, author of the book Authentic Happiness, categorized three paths to happiness. First, is the pleasant life, which is about having as many pleasures, enjoyment and comfort in life as possible. The next is the good life, which is about using your strengths and values in work, love, family and friendship. Finally, there’s the meaningful life, which is about using your strengths in service to others and causes that are larger than yourself. Research reveals that the pleasant life may provide temporary happiness, but happiness was not lasting and did not lead to life satisfaction. The good life and meaningful life paths both led to life satisfaction.

1. In case you are looking to increase your happiness, don’t stress about being happy. Just start taking steps doing things that you enjoy or try something new to see if your happy feelings grow. If you don’t know where to start, here are some ways that could help to cultivate happiness. Having good health habits is important. It’s the basics again: Get good sleep, eat a healthy diet, exercise. When your body is well, mood is helped, too. Sounds simple, but not always easy to do.
2. Living your values and spiritual beliefs fosters peace and happiness.
3. Develop some good close relationships. Loving relationships provide buffers for challenges in life and make sharing joys in life even greater. Love and trust help to lower cortisol, a stress hormone, while increasing oxytocin, a beneficial hormone.
4. Grow your gratitude muscle by having a gratitude journal. Notice things you are grateful for each day. Recording them and sharing them is good, too.
5. Care for someone or something. Volunteering or caring for people, pets or even plants can help bring feelings of happiness. When you have something or someone to care about, you can feel needed and appreciated.

We decided to talk to some people to see what makes them happy. We met Matt Olson who was biking in Chanhassen. He mentioned that he and his family just purchased a home in the area. We asked him if he knew that Carver County is the happiest county in the United States. Matt said, “I didn’t know that until you told me. That’s a good perk and good news for buying our house.” Then we asked what makes him happy. Matt answered, “What makes me happy is my wife and child, family and friends and just enjoying being outside in this great weather we are having in Minnesota right now.” Since he was riding a bike, we wondered if he enjoyed biking. He said, “Yes, it’s the first time I’ve had the bike out this year. I do enjoy biking and running when I get the opportunity.”

Then we talked to Kathryn Bottcher, who was relaxing and reading while sitting on a blanket under a tree at Lake Susan Park. She had her dog, Corbin with her and they were both enjoying the beautiful afternoon. We asked Kathryn what makes her happy. She shared, “Spending time outdoors, spending time with my family, making other people happy, doing unexpected things for people and seeing them smile and helping others.” She also quickly added, “Spending time with my dog, exercising, and just making sure that I live life through experiences.”

Matt and Kathryn each individually shared some things that make them happy. What about you? What makes you happy?

Here’s a challenge: If you don’t know what would make you happier, we encourage you to try some new things to see what you might enjoy. If you know what makes you happy, make it a priority to do more of those things. Life is busy and goes by fast, so build in the things that will make your life even more happy and meaningful.

Chanhassen residents Doug and Lynn Nodland are Success Coaches and owners of The Balance Center. They can be contacted at WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2018 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.