For the last six years in a row, Finland has held the title of the happiest country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report. This summer Finland is offering a master class so others can learn the secret of being happy. The course will be taught by four coaches at a luxury resort which will include a private villa with panoramic windows, private sauna and spa. The class will be structured around themes: food and well-being, health and balance, design, nature and lifestyle.
The Finland Forest
I don’t doubt that Finland is a happy place. There are some external factors that contribute to a happy population: relative affluence, low levels of crime and corruption, efficient public services and access to nature. However, it is possible to have affluence but not enjoy it. Many Americans enjoy an affluence that includes access to an abundance of safe food and safe living spaces which are heated in the winter and cooled in the summer. However, according to zippia.com, the average American is exposed to 4,000-10,000 advertisements every day that remind us, not of the affluence we have, but of all the things we don’t have but need to be happy. To be really happy, however, requires more than just affluence, it requires a mindset that allows you to enjoy the affluence you have.
Luxury Villa in Finland
I think I would be happy in Finland’s master class. I think that if I was with a person who I loved for four days in a luxury resort, in a private villa, with panoramic windows, private sauna and spa, I would be happy. But the happiness I seek can’t be just about external factors. I want to be happy wherever I am. The senior director of international marketing at Business Finland for admits, “It is a skill that can be learned and shared.”
I am confident being happy takes intentionality, but it isn’t as hard as you might think. Here are four quick tips on how to be happy without moving to Finland.
FOUR QUICK TIPS ON HOW TO BE HAPPY (WITHOUT MOVING TO FINLAND)
- Enjoy and cultivate good relationships with other people. Developing good relationships is not easy, and not everyone will be your good friend. However, if you make it your mission to be a good friend, to be generous and empathetic, you will find you have people in your life that you care about. Notice the emphasis isn’t on finding people who care about you, but rather you caring about others.
- Enjoy your affluence. I am NOT rich by American standards, but my home is more comfortable than the palaces of European kings in the 18th and 19th centuries. I have electricity, clean water, and two grocery stores within one mile that have over 40,000 items for me to choose from. I can increase my happiness if every day I take a minute and think about all that I have. It often helps to take an additional minute and jot down five or six things which you are grateful for. Your happiness will increase if you, by an action of the will, focus on what you have, not on what you don’t have.
- Enjoy nature. I live in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Cheyenne is a high
Cheyenne Dog Park
desert which is cold in the winter and hot in the summer. It is often windy and there is a noticeable absence of the beautiful mountains of Colorado, the beaches of California, or the forests of Finland. No one moves to Cheyenne to enjoy nature. But today I spent time at a large dog park. The “park” was a large desolate lot of brown dirt. But it was beautiful watching the dogs run, chase balls, and jump for frisbees. It was crisp (cold really, but I had a warm jacket) and the clouds and sky were amazing. All I had to do was look up. Wherever you are, nature isn’t far away, you just have to go outside and look.
- Remember your creator. Central to my happiness is my relationship with God. Knowing why I am here, certain of my ultimate destination, and following His instructions for my life is key to happiness. Every morning I read the Bible and a short devotional, and then I spend time in prayer. All of these activities remind me that I am not the point. My life is just a small part of God’s larger story and, if I remind myself of that every day, I find my happiness increases by at least ten-fold.
I pray that today you would find that happiness that transcends external circumstances and find a happiness that God intended for you.
