the secret society of happy people

i was browsing on twitter and came across this message from @yvettegr that went "August: Just a reminder August is Admit You're Happy Month."

i never knew there was such a thing as a "admit you're happy month"... hmm but then again, there are just too many things out there that we are not aware of. out of curiosity, i googled about it and found where this all started - the secret society of happy people (SOHP). lol. funny. just the name itself makes you wanna smile or laugh (good work) :)

believe it or not, this is not a joke.
the SOHP was actually founded in august 1998, and had just celebrated its 11th birthday.

"The Secret Society of Happy People encourages the expression of happiness and discourages parade-raining. Parade-rainers are those people who don't want to hear your happy news. And no, we don't tell people to be happy if they aren't or how to be happy." (abstract from www.sohp.com)

of course, membership is absolutely FREE (i would guess so.. who's to charge you for declaring your happiness anyway *smile*). to date, more than 7,000 people in 34 countries have joined the SOHP. actually i'm kinda surprised there aren't more people on it, given the 11 years of history. perhaps people just can't be bothered.

well, i've literally just known this site for about 5 minutes, so i'm not entirely sure what goes on behind it all, but from what i see this society is all about sharing words and thoughts on happiness, finding and sharing happy news, encouraging and identifying happy events... in essence, simply celebrating happiness.

in our day and society where we're all so easily caught in our own mundane world, our endless rat race, the pursuits of goals and dreams, where sad and unhappy news hit our newspaper headlines everyday... i think it's actually a good idea to have a platform to remind you to be happy and to say it out loud - however trivial or ridiculous it may seem :)

honestly, i don't think we need to join a society or wear a happiness pin to be happy. but i do think happiness is not just what happens to a person, but very much also in the state of mind, how the person perceives or chooses to react to it. i also agree that happiness is contagious - surround yourself with happy people, happy thoughts and you'll naturally be happier too.

afterall...

"Life is the greatest bargain; we get it for nothing." - Yiddish Proverb

so what's not to be happy? :)

since august is the "admit you are happy" month, and we're supposed to share happy things with others, here's a random list of 12 happy things in my life:

1) i am healthy, alive and able to enjoy life's simple pleasures everyday
2) i get to spend time with my parents, my younger brother (despite the numerous fights), extended family, best friends - people who care for me and whom i care a lot for
3) i feel love in my life - from God, in my heart, for others and being loved in return
4) i look into the mirror everyday, and feel good about myself (despite the few extra inches i always want to lose) :P
5) i am financially independent (well, to a certain extent) and can afford to indulge in a few occasional luxuries
6) i love shopping. and that makes me happy :)
7) i enjoy the company, attention, stories, smiles and jokes from my friends
8) i have a job in a company where people are mostly generous, happy and fun
9) i am "effectively billingual", proud and happy of it
10) i love all things cute, they make me happy (eg. tokidoki)
11) i appreciate details, the little gestures, beauty and gifts in life
12) i love myself, just happy to be me

of course, the list goes on... just but a handful to share.
please do share your 12 happy things too, leave a comment :)