It turns out that the process of working toward a goal, participating in a valued and challenging activity, is as important to well-being as its attainment.
Sonja LyubomirskyForgiving people are less likely to be hateful, depressed, hostile, anxious, angry, and neurotic.
Sonja LyubomirskyIf we observe genuinely happy people, we shall find that they do not just sit around being contented. They make things happen. They pursue new understandings, seek new achievements, and control their thoughts and feelings. In sum, our intentional, effortful activities have a powerful effect on how happy we are, over and above the effects of our set points and the circumstances in which we find themselves. If an unhappy person wants to experience interest, enthusiasm, contentment, peace, and joy, he or she can make it happen by learning the habits of a happy person.
Sonja LyubomirskyPeople prone to joyful anticipation, skilled at obtaining pleasure from looking forward and imagining future happy events, are especially likely to be optimistic and to experience intense emotions.
Sonja LyubomirskyAll that is required to become an optimist is to have the goal and to practice it. The more you rehearse optimistic thoughts, the more 'natural' and 'ingrained' they will become. With time they will be part of you, and you will have made yourself into an altogether different person.
Sonja Lyubomirsky