Live Happy Now Podcast

The Slight Edge to Happiness with Jeff Olson

This week, Founder of Live Happy, Jeff Olson, shares insights to small actions you can take to achieve happiness. Over the past 30 years Jeff has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals achieve better levels of financial freedom and personal excellence. Jeff describes himself as "a perpetual student of personal development," and he is as devoted to health and happiness as he is to personal and financial success. Jeff has worked with a series of sales, marketing, and distribution companies, building three different sales and distribution forces into multimillion dollar organizations from scratch, ultimately becoming CEO of one of them. Based on that experience, he went on to found The People's Network, one of the largest personal development training companies in the nation where he produced over 900 television programs around personal excellence in health, finances, relationships, and more. In this episode, you'll learn: How to achieve big goals through small actions The power to shift your mindset towards choosing happiness One thing you can do to be happier today Links and resources mentioned in this episode: SlightEdge.org The Slight Edge on Amazon Thank you to our partner - AARP Life Reimagined!

Podcast Home

Positive Communication with Michelle Gielan

This week, on Live Happy Now, we have Michelle Gielan, Founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research and expert on the science of positive communication and how to use it to fuel success. Michelle works with Fortune 500 companies and schools to raise employee engagement, productivity and happiness at work. She is a Partner at GoodThink, a positive psychology consulting firm, and she holds a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of a new book, Broadcasting Happiness: The Science of Igniting and Sustaining Positive Change. In this episode, you'll learn: How to turn off stress and negativity in your mind Turn negative thought patterns into an opportunity for positive growth How to deal with negative people Create a positive culture at work Links and resources mentioned in this episode: GoodThinkInc.com Broadcasting Happiness FREE Success Scale Assessment – Code to access is ‘LiveHappy’ Thank you to our partner – AARP Life Reimagined!

Podcast

Welcome to the Live Happy Now podcast!

Deborah Heisz, COO, Co-Founder and Editorial Director of Live Happy introduces what you can look forward to with the Live Happy Now podcast and a preview of the upcoming guests like Michelle Gielan, Tom Rath, Christine Carter, and Deepak Chopra. Deborah also shares more about the Live Happy mission to help make the world a happier place. In this episode, you'll learn: The mission of Live Happy What to expect on upcoming episodes of Live Happy Now An invitation to join us in helping make the world a happier place Links and resources mentioned in this episode: Visit Live Happy on Facebook Visit Live Happy on Twitter Visit Live Happy on Instagram Thank you to our partner - AARP Life Reimagined!

Podcast

Are You Fully Charged with Tom Rath

In this week's episode of Live Happy Now, we have Tom Rath, author of Are You Fully Charged? The Three Keys to Energizing Your Work and Life. Tom is an author and researcher who studies the role of human behavior in business, health, and well-being. He has been described by business leaders and the media as one of the greatest thinkers and nonfiction writers of his generation. Tom's latest bestseller, Are You Full Charged? The Three Keys to Energizing Your Work and Life is receiving acclaim as "Rath's best book yet" and is the subject of a feature-length documentary. This book and his second children's book, The Rechargeables, were released in May of 2015. In this episode, you'll learn: The core elements of a good day Distinction between meaning and happiness The importance of positive interactions How to handle negative moments Links and resources mentioned in this episode: TomRath.org Are You Fully Charged? The Three Keys to Energizing Your Work and Life Thank you to our partner - AARP Life Reimagined!

Happiness

Measuring Happiness at the United Nations

Experts on the study of happiness convened at the United Nations Thursday to discuss “The Paradox of Income and Happiness,” a look at how research is helping governments measure happiness—and how that is contributing to better outcomes of well-being in populations. Jeffrey Brez, chief, NGO Relations, Advocacy and Special Events, opened the session by explaining that happiness has become a topic of global interest. From Bhutan to Britain “In the past few years, we have seen so much more interest around the [International Day of Happiness],” Jeffrey said, referencing the March 20 event that was established by the U.N. General Assembly in 2012. “This attracts people from around the world.” Thursday’s briefing was designed to focus on how the science and research-based findings on happiness can be applied by governments, nongovernment organizations, schools and individuals to create a happier planet. Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Broadway conductor and director of Finding Neverland, served as moderator for the event and discussed her experiences working with the poor in India. It was there, she said, that she learned some truths about happiness—including that money has very little to do with true happiness. Money still can’t buy happiness Alejandro Adler, a member of the International Expert Well-being Group, echoed Mary-Mitchell’s discovery, pointing out that while the gross domestic product has become synonymous with progress, there are very marginal increases in happiness between countries, “which means increasing GDP does not make countries happier.” In reality, added Ami Dar, founder and executive director of the website Idealist.org, becoming happier requires really just one simple decision: to do the things that make us happy. “We seem to know what makes us happy, and we’re all experts at what makes us unhappy,” he said. “So the real question is, why don’t we do what we need to make us happy?” Learning to be happy Happiness learned early in life will last forever, and the opportunities to change young lives through positive education were illustrated by both Kaiping Peng, Ph.D., and Hector Escamilla, Ph.D. Presenting evidence on how positive education has been implemented in China and Mexico, respectively, they said it can help students find purpose and meaning—something that will positively change their future and shape their decisions. “It’s very popular in China,” Kaiping said. “We are changing the Chinese mindset about education, about happiness, about well-being.” A truly global perspective On a global level, more countries are embracing the idea of happiness as part of public policy. Deborah Heisz, COO and co-founder of Live Happy, noted that while the scientific study of happiness is relatively new, it has already provided a convincing volume of evidence on its many benefits, from better health and relationships to greater career satisfaction. “While we still have much to learn about happiness and where it can take us, the one thing we know with certainty is that a personal commitment to happiness from each and every one of us will make a difference on a worldwide level.”

Lifestyle

Fort Worth Kicks Off Blue Zone Initiative

The city affectionately known as “cowtown” may be looking for a new nickname after last weekend’s kickoff to the Blue Zones initiative, an effort to make Fort Worth, Texas a more sustainable and healthier place to live, work and play. Fort Worth is the largest city to take on the well-being project to date, boasting roughly 790,000 residents. According to the Blue Zones organization, cities in California, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota and Texas are currently participating in the project with great success. Healthy communities invite people and businesses “Blue Zones is an important tool for Fort Worth because it makes it easier for families to make healthy choices and to be active,” says Mayor Betsy Price. “Healthy communities make for engaged, vibrant cities that attract businesses and families. It's another tool in our toolbox to make Fort Worth stronger.” Blue Zones is a well-being company designed to help people live longer and better lives. It is the brainchild of Dan Buettner, the New York Times best-selling author of The Blue Zones, Thrive and the upcoming The Blue Zones Solution. Dan, a fellow at National Geographic and keynote speaker at the Forth Worth event, is considered an expert on longevity. Through his research, he has pinpointed areas of the world where people live the longest and why. What it will take To become a Blue Zone, Fort Worth has pledged that over the next five years, the city plans to make healthier options easier for people to find in restaurants, grocery stores, schools and at worksites, while also implementing other changes in the community. “It’s not about being a nanny state,” Betsy told the crowd. “It’s about offering choices that will make it easy for you.” Some of those options include more bicycle-friendly areas and bike-sharing programs, signs pointing to healthy food in supermarket aisles and designated Blue Zones menus at local eateries. What makes some people healthy? “When it comes to longevity, there is no silver bullet and no easy fix,” Dan says. He went on to explain that the Blue Zones project is a different way to look at health. Instead of shaming an individual to have the discipline to get healthier, they focus on what he calls a “life radius” to make the decision to be healthy easier. “We set up a healthy swarm of nudges, so people don’t even think about it,” Dan says. “They are just nudged into being healthier every day.” Next steps to certification While this is just the beginning stage for Fort Worth in obtaining its Blue Zone Community certification, Betsy is excited for the changes. The expected results include a reduction in healthcare costs, an increase in the quality of life and economic improvements for individuals, business and local government. “We are already an incredible city of great character, made up of great characters.” What Fort Worth must do to be a certified Blue Zone city: Individuals: At least 20 percent (or 111,000) of people living or working in Fort Worth ages 15 and older must sign the Blue Zones Personal Pledge and complete one pledge action; Worksites: A sufficient number of employers that represent 85,000 employees must become designated Blue Zones Worksites®; Schools: At least 25 percent (or 44) of public schools from the Fort Worth, Keller and Northwest ISDs must become designated Blue Zones Schools®; Grocery Stores: At least 25 percent (or 14) of the city’s 54 grocery stores must become designated Blue Zones Grocery Stores®; Restaurants: At least 25 percent (or 59) of the city’s 259 independent or locally owned restaurants must become designated Blue Zones Restaurants®; Community Policy: The community must adopt a minimum of policy goals contained in the Blue Zones Community Policy Pledge regarding the environment, food policy, and tobacco policy. Photo Courtesy of The Blue Zones Project by Healthways.

Happiness

Pursuing Happiness Mythology

I've always been fascinated with how things came to be, for the "how" is usually just as interesting as the "what." I'm not alone in this feeling; it's why Hollywood makes prequels and why there are so many "behind the scenes" TV shows—people love origin stories! So allow me to get a head start on the Pursuing Happiness Mythology, for although this film is not about Adam or myself, you may still want to know how a 23-year-old unemployed college graduate and a 38-year-old father of two teamed up to make a documentary about their pursuit of the happiest people in America. Like all good myths, the exact time and location of inception is unknown, but it was sometime during 2006 that the Pursuing Happiness seeds were planted. Adam, my father and I were touring with our documentary, Finding Kraftland, which is best described as "the world's most overproduced home movie." Every time we screened the film, audiences would comment on how inspiring the film was; my father's lust-for-life attitude and never-ending pursuit of joy had a real impact on people. On several occasions, they would stay past the screening to talk to us and figure out what exactly was in the water at Kraftland. These experiences were incredibly flattering for my father and me, but they had a different impact on Adam. I'm not sure exactly when the idea for Pursuing Happiness came to him—it may have been while we screened in a yurt at the Mt. Rainier film festival, or when the fire alarm went off during our screening at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and no one left their seat because they were so enthralled—but at some point, he realized that if a film about one exceptionally happy person can impact so many people (they were willing to risk their lives to watch it!), then a film about dozens of exceptionally happy people, from varied walks of life, could have an even greater effect. Whether or not Adam knew then that he'd go on to make that film with the then 16-year-old star of Finding Kraftland (me) is unknown, but I certainly never would have dreamed that I'd be spending 24 hours a day with Adam—for weeks on end—packed in a car filled with film gear and littered with stacks of scholarly articles on the psychology of happiness. In fact, even when I was working for Adam's production company the summer after graduating college, I never imagined that would be my not too distant future. I had made plans to spend a year in Japan, learning the language, experiencing the culture, and doing a lot of soul-searching. But it didn't take quite as long to search my soul as I had planned (either I was efficient, or I don't have a very big soul...) and three months after arriving in Tokyo, I returned to Los Angeles with the goal of joining Adam in his quest for the happiest people in the country. It was an idea he had been bouncing around for years, "Pursuing Happiness, from prostitute to priest" he'd always say, implying he wanted to run the gamut of interviewees, but life (wife, kids, other projects) seemed, until this point, to get in the way of this quest. Luckily, at 23, there wasn't much "life" to prevent me from traveling the country and interviewing complete strangers, and within a few weeks of returning to America, Adam and I were on the road! It didn't occur to me until just now, but in many ways, this journey is the next logical step after touring the country with Finding Kraftland. We played major festivals in large cities as well as trekked into the woods to screen at ma and pa festivals where we were delighted to find a handful of eager faces in the audience—we met and inspired people all across this vast nation from different walks of life. Now, Adam and I are once again traveling this country to hear the stories of the types of people who would be drawn to a wacky film about one extremely happy guy. In fact, we've already arranged interviews with some of the friends we made during the tour of Finding Kraftland. Funny how things work out.