High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 578: How to Be Happy

Episode Date: November 9, 2023

In this episode, Dr. Kamphoff shares with us the research behind happiness. Did you know that research in the field of positive psychology shows that up to 40% of our happiness can be changed by engaging in daily, intentional activities that impact how we act and think? Also, when we "try" to be happier this elevates our mood. When we are happier, we are more productive, creative, engaged, live longer, and enjoy the relationships with our family and friends more. This week’s Power Phrase: “I choose happiness. Happiness is inside of me!”   This week's Quote of the Week: “Happiness is a state of mind. It’s just according to the way you look at things.” Walt Disney  

Hi, friends. My name is Dr. Sindra Kampoff, a national leader in the field of sport and performance psychology. Every week, I'm on the local radio sharing my top tips on exactly how to develop the mindset of the world's best so you can accomplish all your dreams. Get ready for a jammed, packed episode focused on practical tips to help you get after your goals and step out of your comfort zone. Let's go. We're checking in with Sindra Kampoff talking about how to be happy. Cinder, you start us off with a quote. I like this quote by Walt Disney. He said, happiness is a state of mind. It's just according to the way that you look at things. What inspired this particular topic today? Well, I was rereading part of my book where I talk about happiness. And, you know, I was also just noticing that there's so many things outside of our control that can really impact our happiness.

And as I just watched people this weekend, I noticed it even more and more. And, you know, I think now more than ever, it's just helpful for us to get connected to what makes us happy. And why do you think it's so important for us? Well, the research in positive psychology suggests that happy people share some key traits. First of all, happier people perform at a higher level. They're more productive and creative and engaged. Second, we know happy people are gritty, so they're more committed to their goals. And they also have a stronger immune system. Happier people live longer, believe it or not. And what the research even says is that, you know, happy people devote time to their family and their friends and enjoy a relationship.

But what's important, Lisa, is we're talking about happiness today. I don't want people to think that we're talking about fake happiness or fake positivity. So I just want to say that before we kind of talk about how to be happier. So what exactly is important for us to know about happiness? Well, in Sonia Lomondowski's book called The How of Happiness, So what exactly is important for us to know about happiness? amounts, about 10% of our happiness actually comes from life circumstances or situations, like for example, if we're rich or poor or healthy or unhealthy or married or divorced, and 50% is genetic. And so, you know, I think what's powerful about this is I was reading this research in that, you know, we can change up to 40% of our happiness just by the way that

we engage in daily activities and being intentional with how we think and how we act. And so today we're going to talk about three myths of happiness. So what is a myth of happiness? Okay. Well, first I'd say happiness, number one, is just that happiness must be found. And it's actually not something that we find. You can think about happiness as kind of anywhere within your reach. If 40% of our happiness comes from, you know, intentional thoughts and action, what's helpful is just to realize, hey, you know, how can I grow in those and really see that happiness is within me. And what's another myth of happiness? Well, another myth is that happiness

is lies and changing our circumstances. So, you know, sometimes I catch myself saying, like, I'll be happy if or I'll be happy when. Sometimes we look at the past and think about a time we were really happy and we immediately believe it won't happen again. Or we wish for things to change to make us happy. But I think the key is, is that we can just notice what makes us happy and really start paying attention to that more. And what's the last myth of happiness? The last myth is either you have happiness or you don't.

And, you know, today we're talking about just choosing intentional thoughts and actions that make us happy. There was a study in the Journal of Positive Psychology that found just by simply trying to be happier can actually elevate our mood and our well-being. So how would you summarize today for us? Lisa, I would say that up to 40% of our happiness can be changed by how we engage in daily and pencil activities, just by the way that we think and act. And so we can try, just by

trying to be happier, can elevate our mood and help us And so we can try, just by trying to be happier, can elevate our mood and help us feel when we're happier, we're more productive, more creative, we live longer, and we enjoy our relationships around us. So I think the main key today is just notice what makes you happy and engage in more of that.

And what is this week's power phrase that you're going to leave us with? I teach happiness and happiness is inside of me. All right. Now, Cinder, if people want to read the book that you're talking about, that you wrote about this in, where can we go? Where do we follow you? Absolutely. You can head over to beyondgrit.com. And in both of my books, Beyond Grit and Beyond Grit for Business, I talk about this concept of happiness. Way to go for finishing another episode of the High Performance Mindset. I'm giving you a virtual fist pump. Holy cow, did that go by way too fast for anyone else? If you want more, remember to subscribe. And you can head over to Dr. Sindra for show notes and to join my exclusive community for high performers where you get access to videos about mindset each

week so again you can head over to dr. Sindhra that's drcindhra.com see you next week