Mindset: The Happiness Pie

The Happiness Pie is a concept originally designed by Sonja Lyubomirsky in her book, ‘The How of Happiness’. It is based around the idea that the happier we are, the better our outcomes will be in all areas of our life.
The Happiness Pie suggests there are three areas that impact our ability to be happy:

• Genetic Code (50%)
• Situation/Circumstances (10%)
• Intentional Activities (40%)

As you can imagine, the first is entirely out of our control. The second is mostly out of our control, but is also a fairly small component. But the remaining 40% (Intentional Activities) is entirely within our control.
So what can you do to harness this remaining 40%? Here are some ideas:

• Adopt a positive attitude
• Be willing to change and adapt
• Encourage positive thoughts and behaviours
• Develop good and healthy relationships
• Express gratitude
• Practise optimism
• Help others
• Commit to lifelong goals
• Live in the present

If we are able to successfully harness this additional 40%, we will lead happier lives, and thus have better outcomes in life.

Sonja’s website has a fascinating section discussing some of the research that she came across when writing her book, in addition to the findings from her own research. It’s a great read if you’ve got a spare 5 minutes and are interested in it!
If you are interested in reading about more mindsets that can help you run a successful business, and improve the quality of your life, you can check them out in our Mindset Catalogue.