March 26th was my mother’s 87th birthday. And what I’d really like to give her is a gold medal for happiness. She’s proven that you can raise your happiness level at any age.

You see, Mom hasn’t always been happy. Like many women of her generation, she had a tendency to “over-give”—so much so that she often neglected her own needs and became drained and exhausted. But over time, she learned to overcome her old patterns and take greater responsibility for bringing more joy and satisfaction into her life.

At 50, Mom learned to meditate, and in her seventies, she began exercising. She’d been married to my father for 63 years when he died, and yet she found the courage to do many things alone for the first time—traveling, joining clubs, and even getting weekly massages. (Mom is much more empowered now than she was at 50 or even 25!)

In the past week, she has truly earned her place in the happiness hall of fame. I’ve been with her in the hospital since she was unexpectedly sent to the emergency room. She underwent a 3½-hour surgery and, thank goodness, is doing fabulously—even on the happiness front.

When she woke up from surgery with an oxygen mask on and tubes everywhere, I asked her how she felt. She gave a small smile and whispered, “I’m happy for no reason.”

I observed two things that are sustaining her happiness:

1. Gratitude: Nearly every sentence from my mother this week has been an expression of gratitude. She’s grateful that my brother, sister and I are all here with her. She’s grateful for the nurses, the doctors, the availability of a timeslot for her urgent surgery, the sunshine in the room, the cool touch of the water swabs on her lips. She has expressed gratitude for her life a hundred times over.

2. A sense of humor: Even though Mom’s the one who had the operation, she’s keeping all of us in stitches with her priceless one-liners. When the ICU nurse complimented her about what a wonderful patient she is, without skipping a beat, Mom quipped, “Great, just leave a tip at the door.” What’s extraordinary is how consistent her lightheartedness is—without the help of pain meds!

My mom’s fantastic attitude is the perfect example of a new phenomenon I heard about this week called “brightsiding.” It’s based on the belief that although you can’t control the outer events of your life, you can control your outlook. The main components of brightsiding are expressing gratitude, maintaining a sense of humor, and enjoying time with the people you love.

Here’s how you can start brightsiding today:

1. Identify the most difficult situation you are facing right now.

2. List 3 things that you are grateful for about that situation.

3. Find one thing, no matter how small, that is humorous about what’s happening.

Spending time with my mom this week has been a full-immersion experience in brightsiding. Mom, happy birthday—you are my happy for no reason hero!

Happily,

Marci

This week’s launch of Happy for No Reason in paperback was spectacular! Thank you so much for your extraordinary support.

It was exciting to watch as the book soared to the top of the bestseller lists all over the world, including the New York Times list—proof positive that despite all of the bad news out there, we’re in the midst of a happiness revolution!

And you’re a part of it.

Here’s a way to get the most from that rising tide of well-being in your own life. Just give yourself five to ten minutes a day to practice one of the happiness habits, and you’ll elevate your happiness level permanently.

I know it works. To answer a request this week from a national magazine that is writing an article on how Happy for No Reason has changed lives, I went through thousands of emails and letters that I’ve received this year. What I found was amazing.

The letters run the gamut—from people who had seriously considered suicide and ended up with a new lease on life to people who were already very happy and were surprised to find even greater happiness.

One of my favorites came from a professional narrator of recorded books for the blind. Last year, this woman had been going through a very difficult time and was “coincidentally” assigned to narrate my book. In all her years as a narrator, she’d never written to any of the authors whose books she’d read, but Happy for No Reason was different. She felt compelled to tell me how the book had not only helped her through major challenges she was facing, but raised her level of happiness permanently.

When I contacted her this week, she said the effects of the Happy for No Reason message are still going strong. Even in this time of uncertainty, she’s been able to stay positive and lift the spirits of her friends and family, too.

All the different stories I read of people being happier have one thing in common—each person took action and put what they learned into practice in their daily lives.

This is the secret to success in anything—practice, practice, practice! But it doesn’t have to feel like work.

Here’s how I suggest you get started to ensure that the techniques in Happy for No Reason make a lasting difference in your life:

1. Pick one happiness habit that you feel drawn to and do it for the next two weeks.

2. Find a happiness buddy (like you would an exercise buddy) and share your progress with them every few days. Your buddy is also the person to keep you on track in your happiness practice.

3. Keep your focus on happiness front and center by talking about it. You learn seven times more when you discuss the information you want to absorb with others, so share your experiences, aha’s, and breakthroughs with the people in your life.

And please share your happiness story with me. It may be the one that really inspires someone else.

Here’s to your own happiness launch!

Happily, Marci

Wherever I go to speak, someone inevitably comes up to me and asks if my “happy husband,” Sergio, still sings in the shower.  The answer is YES — loudly and joyfully.  I’m not quite sure why people remember reading about that in Happy for No Reason (though the picture of a handsome Italian singing in the shower may be part of it).

I heard something the other day about the power of singing that might explain:

My life has felt slightly crazy lately. Happy for No Reason is coming out in paperback next week (very exciting — watch for my email about it) and I’ve been working triple-time responding to the requests for articles and interviews that are pouring in.

Feeling a bit burned out, I decided to take a break from my schedule one night and go hear a lecture on happiness by Angeles Arrien, a cultural anthropologist. I deeply respect Angeles’s work, and I love how she draws on the wisdom of indigenous cultures to help us make our modern lives better.

The lecture was fantastic! I came away refreshed and inspired — and reminded of the importance of being happy in life. (It’s amazing how I can spend so much of my time talking about happiness, but still need those reminders myself!)

One of my favorite nuggets of the evening was when Angeles told a story about an unhappy man who visits the shaman (medicine man) of the tribe. After the suffering man pours out his troubles to the wise spiritual leader, the shaman sits quietly for a moment. Then to the man’s surprise, instead of giving him advice or prescribing an herbal remedy, the shaman simply asks a question:  “When did you stop singing?”

Before the man can answer, the shaman continues, “When did you stop dancing? When did you stop telling stories? When did you stop taking time for silence?”

Angeles’s anecdote illustrates wisdom from across cultures: They all agree that these four things are essential for healing and happiness:

1.  Singing
2.  Moving (dance, sports, exercise)
3.  Story-telling (sharing with others)
4.  Being in silence (staying in touch with the great mystery of life)

Though we often think of singing as an expression of being happy, it can actually help us recover our inner peace and well-being if we’ve lost our joy. The same is true of moving our bodies.

Working on the Chicken Soup the Soul books, I’ve certainly seen the huge value of story-telling — sharing with friends and family stories in a way that nourishes our souls. That’s why I made sure to include inspiring stories from the Happy 100 in Happy for No Reason.

And silence — something that’s hard to come by in our culture — is one of the most important allies you have in raising your happiness level.

Think about your life for a moment. Are you struggling with anxiety and worry over today’s economic news or your own personal problems? Do you feel alone or isolated? Rushed and overwhelmed?

The next time you find yourself in a funk, remember the shaman’s questions, and add a bit more singing, moving, sharing, and silence into your daily routine. I guarantee you’ll find they’re powerful medicine for your happiness!

Happily, Marci

We’re still at the top of Amazon — #6 and thrilled. Amazon has a huge special today on Happy for No Reason of $8.45 (45%).  Who could not get happiness for that price? Go to the Amazon page.

More good news: 2500 people see the video on YouTube yesterday! Watch it now.

Thank you so much for all of your support.

Happily,

Marci

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