Javy W. Galindo - The Happiness Habit: 30 Daily Practices for Choosing Authentic Happiness

(Version 1.0)

Enlightened Hyena Press

Los Altos, CA

www.HyenaPress.com

~~~

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2015 by Javy W. Galindo. All rightsreserved.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoymentonly. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.If you would like to share this book with another person, pleasepurchase an additional copy for each recipient. If youre readingthis book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for youruse only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer andpurchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work ofthis author.

The only joy in the world is to begin.

CesarePavese

I have been very blessed that my book,Authentic Happiness in Seven Emails, has been so wellreceived, and even more blessed by all those who have helped in theprocess of writing it.

This inexpensive workbook is my way ofpassing those blessings forward.

You have here a collection of the happinessexercises I assign to my graduate students. They are meant as a wayto embody the ideas we discuss conceptually in class ideas that Iexplore more fully in Authentic Happiness in Seven Emails.In fact, the book you are reading now can be seen as a workbook forAuthentic Happiness in Seven Emails.

However, neither attending my course norreading my earlier work is necessary for using these exercises.Throughout, I provide a brief explanation of the philosophy andtheory behind each. At the beginning of each major group ofexercises, I even share excerpts from Authentic Happiness inSeven Emails to help contextualize the exercises thatfollow.

But for the most part, in writing thisinexpensive book my philosophy has been less is more.

Less reading on your part, so that you canparticipate in more doing.

If you are in need of further clarification,please feel free to visit www.PicklesAndDoughnuts.com .Ill do my best to post videos and answer questions for those thatneed more information than is provided here. Ive also added linksin this ebook for additional information about some of the peoplewho I have quoted and referenced throughout the book. (As of thefirst distribution of this ebook, I am still in the process ofadding all of that content onto my site.)

I hope you find the material here useful, andwish you well as you begin taking a single step at a time towardsmaking happiness a habit.

Sincerely,
Javy W. Galindo
www.JavyGalindo.com

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SleepParalysis
Ryan Hurd

ByHis Touch
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Authentic Happiness in Seven Emails
Javy W.Galindo

A free pdf version of The HappinessHabit is available on www.picklesanddoughnuts.com .

If you find any part of this book useful, Iencourage you to share its excerpts with whomever you wish. You canprint out the pdf version, email it, post excerpts of it on yourblog, make copies for your friends or groups that you belong to (orteach) as long as you do the following:

1. Cite the source: www.JavyGalindo.com .
2. Do not modify the book or file when distributing.
3. Do not use the book or file commercially.

Copyright 2015 by Javy W. Galindo
This book is published by Enlightened Hyena Press.
2310 Homestead Rd, C1 #125
Los Altos, CA
www.HyenaPress.com

First eBook Edition
Cover Design: Pixel Studios
Book Design: EH Designs
Editing: Marcia C. Abramson

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, isalways beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, mayalight upon you.

NathanielHawthorne

The Pursuit of Happiness

Many of us spend our whole lives in thepursuit of happiness. Often we do this without really ever noticingthat this has been our end goal (whether in the short term or longterm).

And we often do this without much criticalthought about the validity of our approach to happiness: pursuingthe higher-paying job, the bigger house, the latest pair of shoes,the perfect romantic partner, latest technological gadget, and thelist goes on.

This approach to happiness is the pursuitof more desirable conditions of living. Its the happiness fromwithout approach.

And its not that this approach cant make usfeel good and have a positive impact on our subjective experienceof happiness.

The question is this: is it the best, oronly, approach to a happy life?

If you have this book, it is most likelybecause you have already read Authentic Happiness in SevenEmails, and as a result, you already know the answer to theabove question.

The pursuit of happiness from without hasless long-term efficacy than choosing happiness from within. But,so many of us are conditioned to believe happiness is an externaljourney that we fail to appreciate how our own internal choices ofthought and behavior have a more profound impact on our long-termexperience of happiness than external circumstances.

Moreover, many of us are programmed bygenetics and conditioned by past experience to fixate on thoughts,and choose behaviors, that often lead us away from a happy life,and towards one of stress, frustration, anger, shame, and continualdissatisfaction.

We have habits that lead to unhappiness.

And hence, we continually pursue happiness.We continually pursue the quick emotional boost that comes withchanges in our circumstances.

This book is meant to provide practices thatcan help you consciously reprogram yourself to make healthier, moreempowering choices of behaviors and thoughts.

In other words, it is meant to help you makehappiness a habit.

Happiness is a how; not a what. A talent, not anobject.

HermanHesse

The Science of Making Happiness a Habit

We can take an active role in conditioningnew behaviors. Through practice, we can take advantage of ourbrains inherent plasticity and rewire ourselves to develop newhabits.

Youve experienced this if youve everdeveloped a skill or if youve ever made a complex activity routinethrough repetition.

But all habits take time to develop.

Fortunately, here is one funny thing abouthappiness: you may start to experience happiness simply byacknowledging that you are taking a conscious, active role in yourown well-being. This isnt happiness from pleasure, but happinessthat comes with a sense of gratification, purpose, and feeling thatyour actions have meaning.

So as you begin your journey to developingthe habit of happiness, you may experience immediate results bysimply appreciating your effort.

Knowing that each step counts, no matter howsmall.

There is no way to happiness happiness is theway.

ThichNhat Hanh

Instructions

The following practices are grouped, andordered, according to the simplified approach to happiness Ipresented in Authentic Happiness in Seven Emails:

Live easy, live light, livesmooth, and live meaningfully.

My recommendation is to start at thebeginning. Choose one Live Easy practice to focus on for oneto two weeks. Living easy is the most fundamental, and often mostdifficult, of the skills to develop.

Then, choose a practice from another section,and continue this pattern so that by the end of one to two monthsyou will have participated in at least one practice in each of thefour areas.