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We are all looking for ways to remain healthy and according to Dr. Dan Baker, a pioneer in positive psychology initiatives and author of the bestselling book, What Happy People Know: How the New Science of Happiness Can Change Your Life for the Better, people who experience positive emotions tend to be healthier.
At AgChoices 2006, Dr. Baker demonstrated how health and happiness go hand in hand in leading a full productive life; pointing out to a crowd of producers “what is right on the farm”
“An important quality in farming is resilience,” says Dr. Baker. “Resilient people live meaningfully and productively. They help themselves.”
Ranchers and farmers are often very resilient, Baker says, due to their strong ability to cope with the “tides of influence” that exist in agriculture. Being an agricultural producer, by nature, “is the ultimate act of optimism,” he says.
“You have a year where there is great rainfall. You have three years of drought. That is Mother Nature, “ says Baker. “ The question is how do we cope with those changing tides? What are the qualities of people who bounce back?” One answer: “They dwell on the areas where they can have an effect.”
“Happy people aren’t afraid to go beyond the boundaries of their own life. They are not concerned about dying; they are concerned about not living. They believe in something bigger than themselves,” says Baker.
According to Baker, if you are happy, you have a purpose. You know why you are here on earth. You know why you get out of bed in the morning. You know what you are meant to do. And you know if you die today, you are satisfied with what you did in your life.
Happiness and health are interdependent says Baker. In his 12-Point Plan for Happiness, he describes how happy people see the world as a place of abundance. Do you have an abundance mentality or a scarcity mentality. One good way to determine the answer is to analyze whether or not you often experience feelings of jealousy.
Jealousy demonstrates a scarcity mentality – another’s accomplishment takes something away from you. On the flip side of that, someone with an abundance mentality might view another’s accomplishment as proof that good things can happen.
People with an abundance mentality find joy in the good fortune of others because they realize that what someone else has or accomplishes doesn’t take anything away from them. A quote from an unknown author suggests, “your candle does not go out when you light someone else’s candle”.
To find out more about Dr. Dan Baker’s 12 Point Plan For Happiness go to AgChoices 2006 on Roping the Web. www.agric.gov.ab.ca
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