Happiness is Agency + Gratitude

Are you ready to break free from the barriers holding you back and embrace a life filled with unrestrained happiness? On this week's Good Mood Boost, Matt O'Neill sits down with mindset coach Evangeline Thompson while she shares her powerful formula of happiness.

In this enlightening conversation, Evangeline will unveil actionable strategies to increase your agency and infuse your life with gratitude, setting the stage for a life filled with fulfillment and contentment. Say goodbye to negativity and hello to a brighter, more empowered you. Your best mood is just a listen away, so let's dive in and unleash the happiness that's waiting to bloom within you!

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation: 

• Defining happiness as a combination of agency and gratitude 

• Improving mood through working towards goals, even small progress helps

• Finding positives in difficult situations by counting blessings

[01:45] Defining Happiness

True feelings of fulfillment and joy result from balancing two key components - agency and gratitude. Agency refers to a sense of control over one's own thoughts and perspectives, while gratitude involves appreciating the positives one already has in life. By gaining awareness of how we talk to ourselves and making an effort to reshape limiting beliefs, we can increase our agency. Similarly, taking time to reflect on blessings, even during challenging periods, cultivates an attitude of gratitude. Evangeline suggests finding harmony between these internal aspects of agency and gratitude holds the key to unlocking happiness.

[03:03] Improving Mood Through Goals

Listen carefully to negative thoughts and inner voices expressing complaints or unhappiness. Rather than ignoring these thoughts, see them as helpful alarms signaling a need for change. The goal is to use this insight to identify something meaningful to work towards that connects to one's deeper desires. Making even minor progress on a personally meaningful goal can boost mood, as it generates feelings of movement in a positive direction. Evangeline emphasizes that taking action, no matter how small, toward what one wants in life is more effective for shifting perspective than simply giving in to fear or bad feelings.

Notable quotes:

[01:16] We all have a default setting for our mindsets, and it can be kind of limiting unless you actively work to shape it. [01:25]

[03:03] There are few better feelings in this world than the feeling you get from accomplishing a goal you set for yourself. [03:12]

[03:32] Listen to those voices in your head who are complaining about whatever they're unhappy about. Think of them as an alarm. Let it be okay that you're not happy for a moment while you check in with what you deeply desire. [03:46]

Resources Mentioned: 

https://yourlifearchitect.com/mindreset 

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About the Guest 

Evangeline Thompson is a mindset coach and the co-founder and president of Life Architect, a company that helps entrepreneurs feel and be successful in both their personal lives and businesses. Their coaching program teaches people how to talk to themselves in a more positive way and shape their default mindset.