Not long ago I spent three days of it in NYC, running around to meetings and then filming Happier‘s next series of courses with the amazing Deepak Chopra. (Yes, I did just write that and yes, we are so excited to be working on these courses for our community!)
During one of our conversations, Deepak said something that really stayed with me. It’s not that I had never heard it before — I had. It’s not that there aren’t a hundred different studies showing that this works — there are. But the way he said resonated strongly:
“If you want to feel happier, right this very minute, make a friend smile. The best way to do this is to think of something good they’ve done or something great about them, acknowledge it and share it with them. It can be a simple text message, but if you make it authentic, it will make them happier and you will feel amazing.”
This sounds so simple, and yet, when I thought about it, I honestly could not remember the last time I did this. So as soon as we were done, I opened my calendar and added a reminder, twice a week, to text a friend and tell them something I appreciate about them. You’d think the CEO of a company called Happier would not need a reminder to do this, but I do — no excuses, just that life is crazy busy and days can feel like sprints often. (I am sure you can relate.)
In fact, I think we all need more calendar reminders like this, on par with all of our meetings and must-dos. So how about this week following my lead and adding one to your calendar to text a friend and let them know you appreciate something about them. This simple gesture will brighten their day and make you feel happier and more joyful than many other much more complicated things.
Thank you, Deepak, for reminding me; and I hope you’ll all join me in making this a priority!
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