Would you tune into happy if it was readily available?

Are Americans so preoccupied with unhappiness that the majority of us would rather watch a news program about suffering, than one about happyosity? Apparently so according to a sound-byte heard on a local news program. When the guest speaker was asked if happy sells, her reply was, “No. Basically, we all know, if it bleeds, it leads.”

I’m going to go out on a limb here, and turn this statement around with the phrase, ”if it seeds, it breeds.” Just as a raging river breaks down the banks, and changes its course, so to can we change. Although our society may seem to be habituated to negativity, it can be seeded with happier ways.

I recall a story originally published by Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards about a woman who created an astonishing daffodil garden. Edwards writes

On the far side of the Church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, “Daffodil Garden.”

We got out of the car, each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain peak and it’s surrounding slopes.

The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.

“Who did this?” I asked Carolyn.

“Just one woman,” Carolyn answered. “She lives on the property. That’s her home.”

Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory.

We walked up to the house. On the patio, we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking” was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. “50,000 bulbs,” it read. The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain.” The third answer was, “Began in 1958.”

If we are to change the tendency towards the negative, tragic side of life, it will be accomplished by planting happier thoughts,  thinking enjoyfully (a made-up word by a co-worker), and breeding a new era of peace and prosperity.

Let’s happyize 2009.

Our brains are wired to take cues on how to feel from our thoughts. Positive, upbeat people have learned this key principle . . . keep negative thinking on the down low.

To do this, it take s a bit of practice. Here’s a simple exercise to help lift you “UP” during down times.

• First, make a list of all the negative thoughts which have been bothering you.
• Second, counter these thoughts with a positive affirmations.

Here’s an example:

• Negative thought – I’m never going to have enough money to pay my bills.
• Positive affirmation- I have all Ineed.
• Negative thought – I feel so stressed, I can’t do it all.
• Positive affirmation – I feel calm, and everything is as it should be.

By taking control of our negative thinking, we can feel, look and become happier.

Best of all, it doesn’t cost a thing!