HAPPINESS HAPPENS: “For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness,” Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Did you know there is a, shh, Secret Society of Happy People? It’s not so secret any longer and they changed their name to the Society of Happy People (sohp.com), but we like to think this is still the secret place the truly happy like to hang out — it makes us smile.

The society not only celebrates today, National Happiness Happens Day, they also celebrate International Happiness Happens Month (August) and International Hunt for Happiness Week (this year it was January 16-22).

Their goal is to help people recognize more happiness in life. One way is with a counter the society has created. Choose a specified duration of time (one hour, four hours, your choice) and identify each type of happiness you experience — there are 31 types! Then simply tally them up. Keep working on growing your score.

The 31 types of happiness are: amused, blessed, celebrate, cheerful, confident, enthusiastic, fun, giving, grateful, helpful, honorable, humor, inspired, joyful, kind, love, motivated, nostalgic, optimistic, peaceful, playful, proud, relieved, respectful, satisfaction, social, spiritual, successful, valued.

What else could you do to build on this activity, add more happiness to your day? Do you keep a gratitude journal? Maybe add in happy moments to reflect back on for the week. If you haven’t started journaling, today is a great day to begin. Tracking happiness is a wonderful way to see that the world around you is not all bad, there are many great parts of each day.

Other things to note, giggles, laughs, delight, desire, pleasure, calmness, forgiveness, healing – all of which lead to more happiness.