“The average person checks their cellphone 160 times a day,” says Edmund McCormick, author of Happiness Power: How to unleash your power and live a more joyful life. “If you didn’t have a cellphone, what would you do with those 160 moments?” Edmund explains to our listeners that he actually got rid of his cellphone a few years back, after noticing how much time the people around him were spending on their devices, completely unaware of their surroundings. Now, he is only reachable by landline and much happier because of it!

Edmund decided to do a deeper dive into the power of happiness after reading the 2020 World Happiness Report, which indicates that, on average, US citizens are the least happy they’ve been in 20 years. This finding piqued Edmund’s interest, and he ultimately wrote a book detailing his findings, including 50 powers that typically accompany an increase in happiness.

Tune into this week’s episode of Beyond the Basics Health Academy for a conversation with Edmund about happiness and how to find it. Learn about the many powers that come with happiness, how to cultivate a glass-half-full mentality, and why self-love and positive self-talk are key to finding long-term contentment. 

Quotes

• “Happiness gives us things that people who are not happy don’t have. And that’s where the title Happiness Power came from because there’s a great deal of power if you are happy and content in life. Those that are happier tend to earn more money, they tend to get promotions, they tend to have a greater circle of friends, and so on.” (2:23-2:51)

• “I wound up with the conclusion that you really can’t find happiness directly. It will elude you….How then do you find happiness? You find it indirectly. You find it by practicing self-kindness, by looking for your purpose in life...having more family and friends and building that circle builds our happiness, showing gratitude even for the smallest things increases our happiness, and also giving increases happiness.” (3:10-4:09)

• “The average person checks his cellphone 160 times a day. If you didn’t have a cellphone, what would you do with those 160 moments?” (8:17-8:25)

• “It’s not the material things that make you happy. It’s how you feel about the material things….You could be acquiring the best automobile and then after a week or two the smell wears away and you think, ‘What’s next?’ Or you could be getting a raise, and you’re so excited about that raise, and then a month later, gee, you deserve another one. So, it’s your mindset that’s creating your happiness, it’s what’s inside you.” (20:58-21:47)

• “Use a mantra, meaning repeating to yourself the same few positive words about yourself….Just take 45 seconds to a minute to do that when you get up in the morning or if you’re feeling a little down in the afternoon. Just say it to yourself, don’t say it outloud, and you will find that in several weeks, you’re going to see that the light gets brighter, the curtain lifts, and things look better! All of a sudden, that half empty glass is now looking like it’s half full.” (29:02-29:55)

Links

https://www.robertgilljr.com/ 

Link to Edmund’s book Happiness Power: https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Power-Unleash-Your-Joyful-ebook/dp/B08R2ZSJ11 

BE KIND TO OTHERS, TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, AND MAKE GOOD CHOICES.

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