HAPPY PLACE
International Day of Happiness sets benchmark goals
CONSHOHOCKEN >> When the United Nations proclaimed March 20 the International Day of Happiness in 2012, the organization launched 17 “sustainable development goals” as benchmarks for achieving happiness – among them, Good Health and Well-Being, Zero Hunger, Quality Education, Decent Work and Economic Growth.
These days, as Americans begin to see a gradual relaxation of pandemic restrictions, more and more are defining happiness in terms that mirror the U.N. goals: Hugging grandchildren, joining family for holiday dinners and – with the recent passage of the federal COVID Relief Bill – having enough money to pay the rent.
Day-to-day basics…until they’re not. In fact, turns out these “little things” are really the “big things” when it comes to happiness and contentment.
That probably comes as no surprise to organizers of the annual World Happiness Summit (happiness summit.world) scheduled to take place in Miami this month but hijacked – as was 2020’s Summit – by the pandemic.
Jenn Masse, the certified mindset and energy leadership coach at the helm of Conshohocken-based Conshy Coaching, was invited to be a coach at the 2021 Summit until COVID-19 protocols scrapped her trip to Florida. Her advice for dealing with such setbacks… now or during so-called “normal” times?
As Masse tells clients, achieving and sustaining happiness ultimately revolves around a few pivotal behaviors. Namely… “Allowing yourself to feel all your emotions, not just the happy ones,” she says. “False positivity is real, and it’s not helpful. But by allowing yourself to recognize and feel all your emotions, rather than fighting the difficult ones, it’s easier to be at peace with your situation, and that peace ultimately leads to a deeper state of happiness.”
Masse says “understanding your values” is important.
“This is critical in all areas of our lives, but if you’re aware of your core values, then you can start making decisions and doing things that align to those values,” she continues. “For example, my top two core values are ‘connection’ and ‘freedom.’ Both were ripped out from under me when this pandemic first started, but I realized it was in my control to fulfill these values.
I just had to think outside of the box.
“So, I took time to understand why I was feeling trapped, what I truly needed and, then, created a strategy to help me safely fulfill those values. In that first month, my strategy included pitching a tent in my basement and calling my favorite camping buddy who had done the same. Now that the weather is nicer and we know a bit more about the virus, it includes getting out in nature as much as possible and going for masked hikes with my friends.”
As Masse sees it, “resetting expectations” is also key.
“Wanting things to be different than what they are isn’t helpful,” she reasons. “You can be present in the ‘now’ and embrace it for what it is while also wanting things to change. But if you’re busy wishing things were different and focusing on everything that’s wrong, then you’re sabotaging any chances of finding happiness and peace in your current experience.”
Masse conducts private and group coaching programs and workshops and is available for public speaking engagements. Additional information, including her Conshy Coaching blog, podcast and upcoming virtual events, is accessible at www.conshycoaching.com, @conshycoaching, jenn@conshycoaching.com and 484-532-8835.