We all want to be happy. But sometimes the harder we search for happiness, the more elusive it becomes. To increase our happiness, experts advise us to do things such as improve our self-esteem or get out of our comfort zones, etc., but making such major and amorphous changes can be daunting. In this book, you will not be advised to alter the way you are in any major or basic sense. Rather, you will learn that by choosing to make subtle recalibrations in your focus and in what you bring to your attention, you can powerfully impact how you view yourself and your life. Just learning that you, in a sense, create your own experience, can be incredibly liberating. The author discusses how to increase contentment and satisfaction when thinking of the past, how to find increased joy in the present, and learning to think about the future with increased optimism and hope. The tone of the book is accessible and inviting and concepts are brought to life by giving many real-life examples. Also included in each chapter are carefully tested exercises that nudge you into new ways of experiencing and thoughtful questions that encourage you to think deeply about the concepts presented.
About the author
Virginia Murphy-Berman received her Ph D in clinical psychology from Northwestern University. She has published over 50 articles, chapters, and books in the area of psychology. For over 12 years, she was a professor in the psychology department at Skidmore College, where she regularly taught a seminar on the psychology of well-being.