Thoughts

If George Washington is the father of our country, does that make Martha Washington our mother??!!

To be cheerful is to be noticeably happy and optimistic. To be cheerful is to have a happy disposition and be in good spirits (not necessarily literally!) A cheerful person is fun to work with and be around, Cheerfulness denotes an individual’s actual or habitual disposition for amusement and laughter. A cheerful person sees the brighter side of life and takes adversity less seriously.

Cheerfulness is a positive affective predisposition. When you feel cheerful, it feels like you’re radiating sunshine. You may even feel like you’re walking on sunshine; you have a bounce in your step. Besides feeling good, those positive emotions do good things for our well-being, both mentally and physically. They lower stress, ease anxiety and depression, and improve our immune system.

Some people seem to be born with a happier, carefree disposition than others. Research does indicate that some of your sense of well-being may be in your genes. But only partly. According to psychotherapist Susan Zinn of Susan Zinn Therapy, your genes make up an estimated 40% of your ability to be happy. But that does not mean that if you weren’t born with certain genes, you’re destined to be unhappy. Zinn says that “it’s completely possible to rewire our brains for happiness, because the other 60% of happiness comes down to lifestyle and other environmental factors.”

Cheerfulness is also a choice. Despite your genetic makeup, there are things you can do and ways you can learn to be happier, even in difficult times.  Zinn suggests the following practical ways to choose cheerfulness:

1. Let go of perfectionism.
2. Volunteer.
3. Exercise.
4. Healthy nutrition.
5. Get out in nature.
6. Show gratitude and practice kindness.
7. Laugh.
8. Tune in to meaning and mindfulness.

The ability to feel happy and be cheerful takes practice and can be accomplished with the right mindset. As they say, “mind over matter!”

Bringing it Home

The Team at Vandenack Weaver Truhlsen is determined to provide you with happy and cheerful representation. We know when to be serious and roll up our sleeves and get to work for you, but we also choose to do so cheerfully. We realize in so doing, we create positive energy and enthusiasm to perform our best work. Choose the Team at Vandenack Weaver Truhlsen and let us put the bounce in your step so you can enjoy the experience of walking on sunshine!

Have a great rest of your week and hope you find those cheerfulness genes!!