“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”  Dalai Lama XIV According to neuroscientist and psychologists, one of the significant aspects happiness is it can be a learned response because the characteristics of happiness exhibit plasticity. Yes, this means we can take specific actions to make us feel happier. And when we when we practice or repeat them they build up into a habit. You know this from your own family, friends and colleagues that some people seem naturally happier than others, but this doesn’t mean your happiness level is a pre-determined given. Because what we’re talking about here means that we can develop and build up a happiness habit over time. Another key finding is happiness is the sum of lots of small actions and happenings rather than one big event. So it’s better for our happiness level to do lots of daily little things like kissing your loved one, enjoying a laugh, or eating something you like, rather than one big thing. All of which is brilliant news for brilliant living because we can do something about it. Following on from last week’s article and episode 60 of the Changeability Podcast, 10 ways to be happy here are 10 more ways to be happier. 1. Appreciation Every night before you go to bed write down three things you appreciate in your life in an appreciation, gratitude or thankfulness notebook - Big or small things about your day, about you and others or the world. Date it and think about them as you go to sleep – and finish your day in the most positive of mind-sets.   2.Step out into nature Get out into nature and daylight. Immersing our senses in the natural environment stimulates the production of serotonin and dopamine, which makes us feel happier by heightening our mood and gives us a dose of vitamin D. This also gives you a fractal hit. Fractals are naturally occurring patterns that are pleasing to us – and nature is full of them everywhere you look. You might not be aware of it but subconsciously you love them and nature is the the place to soak them up. 3.Stay curious Be interested – whatever your age and circumstance. Don’t you think that the most interesting people are those who are interested in others and the world? They take a wide view – not small or narrow minded but always wanting to know about people and the world. It’s easy to get in a rut with work, where we live, the people we know, and what we do for fun. Travel and holidays are great for experiencing new things and meeting new people, but we don’t need to travel to do this. Staying curious is the opposite of being cynical and small-minded – it’s being interested and big-minded. Learning something new, which boosts our self-esteem, gives us a sense of accomplishment and leads to us feeing happier. 4. Give up complaining This is a real challenge - give up complaining – about anything. Try it starting today and see how long you can last. It probably wont be long. Because like so many things we do, think and say - complaining is a habit and breaking this habit will make you happier. Every time you're tempted to say something negative, notice it, stop and don’t say anything at all, or find another way to frame what you want to say in a positive light. We didn’t say it would be easy (we’re still working on this big time) but even being aware and reducing it will decrease negativity. 5. Be purposeful – have purpose This is about intention and purpose - and having some! Think about the things that give you purpose in life, these are motivation behind what you do. It could be something significant like how you want to live or achieve this year, month, week and why. It’s not necessarily about one overriding purpose – but finding the purpose in the multiple ways we spend our time. We can find purpose in almost anything we do. “