Happy Sayings

In an article at inc.com, Bill Murphy, Jr. lists several things happy people say:

• "I'm happy to see you."
• "Remember when you..."
• "You might not realize this, but..."
• "You're really great at..."
• "You really impressed me when..."
• "I believe in you."
• "I'd like to hear your thoughts about...."
• "Tell me more."
• "I took your suggestion."
• "I'm sorry."
• "I'd like to be more like you."
• "Thank you."
• "You're welcome."
• "No."

Even though this relates directly to the work place, it's also true in our contact with people every day. When our focus is on others ~ letting them know they're important to us, telling them we think highly of them, acknowledging their contributions ~ we feel better overall. We feel better about ourselves too. We should say these things when we truly believe them ~ every time we think of saying them.

Sometimes I stop myself from saying "Thank you" or "You did a great job" because I think my compliment or comment is sentimental, trivial or out of line. When I say what I sincerely believe, I'm often met with smiles. I am too good at over-thinking.

One of the most difficult statements to make is "I'm sorry." It's easier when the reason is outside my control, like an illness or an accident or something of that nature. It's not as easy when I'm apologizing for making a mistake. What I know is that apologizing often clears the air for everyone to move on. It's not that others don't know the mistake was made, it's that I own up to making it. I take responsibility for my actions, or inactions.

Another difficult statement is the single word "No." I want to be able to say "Yes" to everything asked of me. Somehow, I believe that saying "Yes" means I'm generous and will win me some sort of points. However, that's not true. Sometimes I am not able to stretch myself as much as I'd like to do. When I find I can't do it all, those commitments start to slide and I feel even worse about myself than if I said "No" in the first place.

Although I don't believe in any absolute in terms of this list, I understand the power of making these statements on a regular basis. They turn my focus to others, and I feel better, happier, when I do that.

What about you? Do any of these statements register with you in terms of your personal happiness scale? How do you respond when people say these statements to you?