Become a Chief Happiness Officer

Dr Timothy Sharp is a Chief Happiness Officer. The way things are going, it looks like every company will soon have a Chief Happiness Officer. Come to think of it you can be the Chief Happiness Officer of your home and community. Your family is a sanctuary. It is where people return to rest, to celebrate, to be comforted. So get everyone to pay attention to happiness within your home nest.

At home, start by creating a quiet and peaceful home. Talk to each member of your family and ask them for suggestions on how to create a happier home. You could focus on simple areas like food, music, transport, entertainment, health, books and use of space. Later, you could discuss sharing of responsibilities. About how family members can help each other. Ask each member what he loves about the home. Enhance these areas. Then ask what they don’t like about their lives at home. See how to eliminate or reduce these factors. You could write up a poster with these columns:

PLUS

MINUS

INTERESTING

Let each member write about what they think. Analyse, discuss and take action. Invest in peace making activities, like meditation, music and exercise. Set up a quiet corner for this. Organise happiness breaks like an ice cream treat, a picnic on full moon night, a home movie with popcorn. Exchange duties — men and boys arrange for food and the girls arrange the watching of sports events. Put different people in charge for each activity. Change these activities every month. I know a family where different people are in charge of providing food each week. Everyone loves the change.

Happiness is your decision, be proactive about it! Dr Rekha Shetty is the author of

Everyday Happiness Mantras