Last week I wrote about some of the inspiring words of wisdom that I learned from Marianne Williamson at the I Can Do It! conference. If you missed it, you can read it here. This week, I share what I learned from the ‘happy man’.

What a happy man he is! Well I guess you’d expect that since he is the founder of The Happiness Project! I happened to exchange a couple of words with Robert right before the conference started. I was just about to get my entry band put on my wrist when Robert politely interrupted as he needed an entry band asap because security weren’t going to let him in! He made a bit of a joke and said hello to me in his delightful English accent, and was off. I didn’t realise who he was until he stepped out on stage! Robert’s keynote style talk was entertaining, fun and uplifting!

 

• Following your joy – there’s a difference between searching for happiness and following your joy. Searching suggests it isn’t here yet. Following is more present tense – you’re choosing rather than chasing.

• Purpose of happiness: acts as a compass, helping you to be authentic and true to yourself. Showing you direction to be yourself, to navigate toward meaning.

• Did you rise and shine or rise and whine?! First thing in the morning be clear on your “to do” and “to be” choices. What sort of day have you decided to have? What is your intention?

• Happiness is something you choose not something you deserve or earn. Happiness is free.

• 50% of happiness is from your genes, 40% is choice and interestingly, there’s only a 10% influence from life circumstance which has only a short term negligible effect on long term happiness. Good news, huh?!

• Identifying the real more that you really really want: What do I want to be? What do I want to give (the happier you are the more you want to give)? What would I like to receive?

• Sometimes in order to be happy in the present moment, you have to be willing to give up all hope for a better past – soooo true!!

• The Power of Forgiveness: forgiveness sets you free – it is an act of self-love; forgiveness helps you to remember who you are – to hold on to a grievance for too long is to change your identity; Forgiveness is the present – willingness to let go of the past; forgiveness is a new beginning – it changes our vibration and forgiveness is the key to happiness – do you want to hold on to resentment or experience joy?

• To be happy you have to make love more important than anything else.

• Being true to yourself and loving is happiness. Love is the heart of happiness.

• Happy people are in loving relationships. Need to find happiness within first – happy people attract happy relationships!

• Start loving people more to let love into your life – the more loving you are the happier you will be.

• You will never become happy, you can only BE happy!

• Miracle of NOW – any now will do!! The whole point of focusing on “the NOW” is to end the search for happiness.

• Live NOW procrastinate later. SHIFT happens!!

During Robert’s talk, he showed us a segment from Britain’s Got Talent that encapsulated true happiness and love. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to share it, but check it out here for a good laugh! For more info on Robert, go to www.behappy.net . Next week I will conclude this series with some thought provoking points I learned from Deepak Chopra. PLUS, I will take you through the meditation he had the entire audience doing for 30 minutes! Don’t miss it!

What are your thoughts on happiness? Please leave a comment below!