Gettin' Lucky.

This article from The O Magazine really got me thinking about re-training your mind to unravel your own happiness. I am certainly no expert on cognitive psychology, but I have had life experiences to back up its recommendations. There really do seem to be folks in our lives who seem inordinately burdened with misfortune or blessed with good luck. Most of it appears out of their control, but is it?

It sounds cliche, but the saying "your attitude affects your altitude" could not be more true. Folding your arms across your chest, avoiding eye contact and standing in the corner during a social event does not attract interesting conversation or new friendship. Something as simple as a friendly smile and eye contact can make all the difference. Being a joiner and keeping an open and aware mind also helps increase the chances of positive interactions with others.

I recall admiring extroverted people in my life who invite others into their circle everywhere they go. At the extreme end of the spectrum are people like my Aunt Linda who strike up conversations with bank tellers, grocery store cashiers and passengers on planes, even though they will likely never meet again. Most people decline to make the social investment in such situations when the investment could actually reap unimagined dividends. The more people you know, the more opportunities for happiness and connection (professionally and personally) you create. See--Facebook, LinkedIn and its ilk really do have a positive purpose!

I also took to heart my Dad's advice that you can learn something from everyone--from the uneducated farm hand to the Harvard-educated Wall Street maverick. Everyone has a story to tell and a lesson to teach, which is perhaps best personified by the StoryCorps oral history project. Featured on National Public Radio (NPR) broadcasts, since 2003, it has recorded conversations between two people who are important to each other connecting and talking about things that matter. Sometimes it is a Grandson interviewing his Grandfather about an important or life changing event or an older couple reminiscing about their years together. This called to mind my audiotaped interview with my Papa about his experiences during WWII and the recordings my Aunt Elaine made of my Great-Grandmother about her experiences as a child during the Armenian Genocide, which occurred contemporaneously with WWI.

My good friend, Nobuko, also gave me a book (newest version here) that compiled written essays from the This I Believe national media project. It is based on a popular 1950s radio series hosted by Edward R. Murrow. The essays, read by the author, are often broadcast on NPR and share personal philosophies and core values of writers from all walks of life. One of my personal goals is to some day write something worthy of this project. Would you?