H is for Happiness

H is for HAPPINESS

Spread a Little Sunshine
By Renee Grant-Williams

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. How well we know these words. They are the conditions demanded for us by Thomas Jefferson as he crafted the Declaration of Independencethat wise and visionary document. So, this means then, as Americans, it is our birthright to be made happy, correct? I mean, it says so right there in the Declaration of Independence, doesn’t it?

Wrong. Take another look. It gives us the right to pursue happiness. Happiness doesn’t find us. We must actively pursue it. We have to seek it out and then we have to earn it. Well, you might ask, how do we go about pursuing happiness?

Happiness reminds me of the magic seeds in a fairy tale. The more of them that are given away, the more the seeds multiply. It’s the giving that makes us feel good about ourselves, not the getting. Happiness doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It exists in the relationships we have with others; it is a reflection of the help and joy we bring to them. How many selfish people do you know who seem to be truly happy?

But doesn’t our motivation become suspect? If we pursue happiness by helping others, doesn’t that mean we are doing good deeds with our own selfish agenda in mind? Maybe. But who cares? Once a good deed is done, it’s done, and everyone has benefited. How can you argue with a true win-win situation?

Besides, helping others doesn’t necessarily mean giving away all our earthly goods and donning sackcloth to live in a hovel. There are a million small kindnesses we can extend to others every day and still remain undiminished.

Why don’t you make a list right now of three things you can do today that will make someone’s life a little brighter? No, let’s make two listsone for your personal life and one for your professional life. Then make another list tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and the day after that.

You will see the small acts of kindness you give away come back to you a hundredfold in your business endeavors, too. Would you rather meet with a happy client or an unhappy client? Should you ask for a raise from an employer who is having a good day, or one who is having a bad day? Will you get better results from an assistant who feels appreciated or from one who feels abused?

Try this for thirty days and keep a journal of the results. For example, you might write: I did this for Jane on Tuesday and she surprised me on Wednesday by doing better at . . . At the end of that time, evaluate your results and determine whether you have profited or lost. Has your investment made you more happy or less happy?

I think you will find that it is not the pursuit of our own happiness that makes us happy. It is our pursuit of happiness for others that brings happiness home to us.

Grant-Williams coaches aspiring performers as well as celebrities including Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Miley Cyrus, Faith Hill, the Dixie Chicks, Tim McGraw, Christina Aguilera, Linda Ronstadt, Randy Travis, and Huey Lewis. She has been quoted by Cosmopolitan, the Associated Press, Business Week, UPI, Southern Living, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe, and the San Francisco Chronicle. She has appeared on many broadcast outlets including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Bravo, USA, MTV, GAC, BBC, PBS, and NPR. Grant-Williams is a former instructor at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as well as the former director of the Division of Vocal Music at the University of California, Berkeley. www.MyVoiceCoach.com