I’m very happy to welcome Nisha from Good News Shared to the Happiness Series today. Here is Nisha on happiness…
1. Name three things in life that make you happy. And, please tell us a little about each one.
My husband Alex- spending time with Alex is fun and inspiring- he’s always wanting to try some new food / drink, walk a different route, and just generally learn new things.
My family and friends- I’m lucky to have caring people who support me with whatever I’m up to.
Being somewhere new- my husband and I are currently living in Lisbon as we can live and work from anywhere with a decent internet connection. I love exploring new places and learning about different traditions and cultures.
2. What’s something you do to find your happiness when you’ve lost it?
When I’m not having a great day I will try to spend time in the sunshine, listen to music, spend time with my husband, and take some time to think and reflect.
3. What cheers you up after a long, difficult day?
Having dinner with my husband.
4. Does your job make you happy? If you are a SAH parent, does that make you happy?
I love my work, so getting out of bed in the morning isn’t too difficult for me. Through my work with Good News Shared, I hear about or speak with inspiring people who are actively making a positive contribution to the world. I feel very lucky to be able to choose when and where I work from, and I love spending my day highlighting amazing charitable acts happening around the world.
5. Share a happy memory with us.
The first time I received an email from someone I don’t know personally, but who had bought The Moments Journal (a guided journal I created in 2016), telling me how much they enjoy using it- it was an incredible feeling. I created The Moments Journal after realizing that other people might find it as useful as I do. I suffered a bereavement in January 2016- it was the hardest time of my life and I was struggling. I decided to note down the things I am grateful for each day to try and stop myself comparing my life negatively with other people’s lives. Over time I started noting down answers to questions about kind acts and good news too, as research found this to be helpful in reducing stress and anxiety. Doing this each day helped me so much, and I am so pleased it is now helping other people too.
6. Do you think money can bring happiness?
To an extent, yes, I think if you have enough money to live comfortably that removes a big stress in some people’s lives. Once you have a certain amount of money I don’t think having more will make you happier.
7. Is your happiness influenced by the things you do or the way you think?
Both- I think exercise, eating well and getting enough sleep can lead to feeling positive, but also a positive attitude helps too. A lot of the inspiring people we feature on Good News Shared have something in common- a positive attitude: they suffer knockbacks and difficulties, but they approach their situation in a positive way, which helps them enjoy life.
8. Share a quote that makes you smile.
Let us never know what old age is. Let us know the happiness time brings, not count the years- Ausonius I love this quote because I have spent a lot of time with older people (I used to work for a national older people’s charity that offered free coach holidays in the UK), and I would occasionally meet an older people with a real zest for life- it didn’t matter that they were aged 85, they still wanted to do a skydive or stood on their head every morning for half an hour (true story!). How old we are doesn’t really matter, it’s what we do with the time we have that matters.
Author’s Bio: Nisha is the Founder of Good News Shared, a website that features uplifting charitable stories from around the world. In 2016 she created The Moments Journal, a quick and easy to use journal that helps people feel more positive and optimistic. You can find Nisha on Twitter and Instagram.
