Episode 103 & 104: Practical Happiness with Pamela Gail Johnson

 
 

This week Mark and Ben talk with Happyness Advocate Pamela Gail Johnson. Pamela founded the Society of Happy People in 1998, created the first three globally celebrated happiness holidays, and is the author of Practical Happiness: Four Principles to Improve Your Life. She was an award-winning salesperson for American Express and Staples, and now helps leaders and teams create happier workplace cultures.

Main Topic Notes

  1. What does happiness mean to you? (When we're feeling good)

  2. Can people that complain and are negative be happy? Is that what makes them happy?

  3. Is happiness elusive?

  4. Happiness zappers

    1. Chaos

    2. Fear

    3. Annoyances

  5. Controllable vs. uncontrollable

  6. How can we learn more about the 31 types of happiness?

Four Principles to Improve Your Life

  1. Happiness is personal

  2. Happiness zappers are manageable

  3. Happiness changes as you change

  4. Happiness is not always the same

Recap / Takeaways

  • Happiness is personal (people have different set points of happiness, and that's ok)

  • Entrepreneurs are happier on average than traditional employees

  • If you're very unhappy, happiness might be too high of an aspiration to start with. Just get to a neutral point first

  • A fake smile can actually trigger endorphins and trigger real happiness

  • Smiling during sales calls can help increase sales, even if you're not on a video call

  • Make sure your goals are your own, not society's goals for you

  • Sometimes Happiness can just be feeling a little bit better than the moment before

  • We tend to minimize happy moments (we're really happier than we might think)

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