Happiness, it seems, has become a global priority. On Thursday 20th March 2014, the world will come together in celebration of The United Nations International Day of Happiness – and of course, People Lab will be joining in!
We’ve always considered happiness to be the top priority on any list – inside or outside of the office. Happiness makes the world a better place for everyone; in fact, you’d be pretty hard pushed to think of a scenario where a little positivity makes things worse.
So, we were very excited to discover that our way of thinking is becoming increasingly popular – people all over the world are beginning to embrace happiness and positive behaviour.
Why does International Day of Happiness exist?
The UN International Day of Happiness website explains the thinking behind the day:
[box]
“A profound shift in attitudes is underway all over the world. People are now recognising that ‘progress’ should be about increasing human happiness and wellbeing, not just growing the economy.
All 193 United Nations member states have adopted a resolution calling for happiness to be given greater priority and March 20 has been declared as the International Day of Happiness.”
[/box]
*taken from the International Happiness Day Website*
Happy thinking becomes happy doing; when we think in a positive way, we’re more inclined to behave in a positive manner towards the people we meet each and every day. We like to think of this as a kind of Happiness Revolution – the happier a person is, the likelier it is that they’ll inspire others to embrace happiness.
How can I be involved?
The team behind International Day of Happiness want one very simple thing from all of us taking part – take a photo, and share it via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other social network, with the hashtag #happinessday. You can share any image – just as long as the photo is of an object or experience that makes you happy! Follow the directions here to take part, and click on the image to check out the Happiness Day website for more information:
Take a look at the gallery of images so far – it’s a real inspiration to see so many people embracing happiness. It’s also a really interesting insight into the different – and often simple – things that make each of us happy. For one person, it might be waking up to see their dog in the morning – for another it could be their favourite brand of coffee. We’re all so different when it comes to happiness, and there really is no one size fits all approach – and that’s why we’ve always found it so compelling.
What are the People Lab team up to?
We’ll be sharing a photo or two every day this week, in celebration of International Day of Happiness. We encourage our readers, followers and friends to join in – add the hashtag #peoplelabideas alongside #happinessday, so we can keep up with your antics!
We’re really passionate about improving happiness, and we’re always looking for like minded people to guest blog for People Lab – if you think you’ve got the perfect article in mind, we’d love to hear from you on info@peoplelab.co.uk.
We’d also love to hear what you’re up to for International Day of Happiness – let us know on one of our social channels, or join our Linked In group to share your ideas.
Whatever you’re up to, we hope you have a fantastic International Day of Happiness!
