Big Idea: We all do it! The calendar changes from December 31 to January 1, and for the next few days we wish family, friends and neighbors a Happy New Year. But how can we make the wish come true for our own marriages? If we define happiness as an emotional state of feeling content, good, joyful, elated, etc. then is this a real possibility for our lives and marriages?
All the major research shows that happiness is sustained by developing the right attitudes, expectations and responses. Leading research tells us that couples who are able to adjust their attitudes to circumstances beyond their control can have a high level of happiness in their marriage.
Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott, (Saving Your Marriage Before it Starts, Love Talk, Crazy Good Sex) teach and write much about this liberating truth - You can choose to be happy by continuously adjusting your attitude. William Dempster Hoard wrote "Happiness doesn’t depend on what we have, but it does depend on how we feel toward what we have. We can be happy with little and miserable with much." It's so true, isn't it! When we develop the "habitude" of happiness, we will experience a much higher level of subjective well-being. We can look at our spouse and be glad that he/she is physically healthy, or we can look at the same spouse and be upset that they're 10 pounds overweight. The choice of happiness (or not) in our marriage is really up to us!
Truth to Ponder: For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. - Proverbs 15:15
Discuss Together: What is one aspect of your spouses' personality or attitude that makes you happy. Share with each other.
Try This: For seven days, focus on one thing about your spouse that helps you experience happiness and share that with them.
Check out this workbook: http://www.lesandleslie.com/download/21-Day-Happiness-Plan.pdf
Check out this book: https://www.makinghappybook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/MakingHappy-Final-Chap1.pdf
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