Be happy! It’s International Day of Happiness today!

Did you know that March 20 is celebrated as International Day of Happiness? The United Nations introduced this day thanks to an initiative by Bhutan, which believed in the importance of national happiness. Not surprising, since Bhutan is always called ‘The Land of Happiness’. And they take happiness so seriously that they have even established a Gross National Happiness(GNH) Commission.

That brings us to the happiest country in the world. When I met The Netherlands Ambassador to India, Bhutan and Nepal, His Excellency Marten Van den Berg this was my first question. Why is The Netherlands among the happiest countries in the world? As widely acclaimed, it is thanks to the citizen's employment satisfaction, social support, mental health and well-being. The Netherlands has performed well in the generosity index, GDP per capita, social support, and the corruption index, making it one of the least corrupt European countries next to Finland and Denmark.

This year, the theme for #internationaldayofhappiness is ‘Be Mindful. Be Grateful. Be Kind’. Well-thought-out indeed, because even a basic following of these three could serve as a huge source of happiness! Incidentally I also liked the ‘20 Secrets to Living a Happier Life’ by Deep Patel. Here it goes:

1. Focus on positive thinking.

2. Celebrate little victories.

3. Find your work–life balance.

4. Practice mindfulness.

5. Be creative.

6. Accept imperfection.

7. Do what you love.

8. Spend wisely.

9. Live in the moment.

10. Cultivate gratitude.

11. Give back.

12. Surprise yourself.

13. Listen to and engage with music.

14. You do you.

15. Build meaningful relationships.

16. Nothing compares to you.

17. Stop worrying.

18. Hang out with happy people.

19. Spend time in nature.

20. Reminisce over happy memories.

Interesting. I loved 9 and 10, and of course 18 and 20. That could fairly work on our happiness quotient I guess. How about you?