Transformation plan: The power of happiness

Dear People,

In 2018 I wrote 7 columns during the year for the Delft op Zondag newspaper to help people create a happier, healthier and more relaxed life by following my transformation plan. I've translated them from Dutch to English with small edits. If you rather read the Dutch versions, you can find them on my website. I'm sharing Column number 2 which was published on May 6th 2018.

The power of happiness

Last time I wrote about how to make a change successful and of course the first step was to create enough energy. Often, people with new energy want to get started right away, but keeping the energy level high is much more important. That is why today I will write about the biggest energy booster of life: happiness.

For many people, happiness is something that happens to you. You win something, someone gives you an unexpected compliment or you may receive a gift. That gives a nice boost, but you can also actively add happiness in your life. Do not wait for luck or happiness to find you, but actively search for it in your daily life.

An important way to make you feel happier is to think about things that you can derive happiness from. Daily gratitude is a ritual that shows you how much good you already have in your life. Gratitude for small things, such as a bird you hear whistling, but also for bigger things like friendship, love and safety helps you focus on the positive. When you practice gratitude mindfully, feelings of happiness grow and you remain more positive and energetic.

In order to make the right changes, it is important that we look critically at our lives, but that often means that people are focused on what they feel is not good enough. This makes it more difficult to be satisfied and at ease with ourselves. Satisfaction helps with quiet strong energy by focusing on what is successful, what was a good first attempt or what does go well. Regularly look around with satisfaction in your own life and notice the difference that it makes.

Finally, it is important to make yourself happy by doing and receiving fun and nice things. You can start quietly with a nice music setting or cooking something tasty, but of course by also visiting nice events or friends. Take some time to do things that are fun and happy and you will see that the other things in your life will run more smoothly as a result.

Heart and Soul's transformation plan