What I Learned About Happiness From My Dogs

5:30am… the alarm blares. My wife groans, shuts it off and shuffles toward the shower. Foggy from the sudden awakening, I slip on sweat pants, tee shirt and that pair of Crocs my wife hates so much and head downstairs for a much needed cup of coffee.

I start the coffee maker and then open the laundry room door to let our two dogs out for their morning “constitutional”. Every morning, all 365 of them each year, those dogs wake up with enthusiasm and are always so happy to greet the day.

While I’m standing out on the porch with my cup of coffee taking in the fresh air of the new day, I wondered if dogs are naturally happy or if they choose to be happy. I figure that they choose to be happy. After all, they have to “do their business” outside rain, snow or cold, they eat crappy food from semi-clean bowls and we drag them out for a forced march with a chain around their neck daily.

From that perspective, if dogs thought like many people do they would probably be depressed and complain about being oppressed, humiliated and having their rights curbed. However, the dogs perceive that they are well loved, fed like clock work, free to roam the yard to find just the right spot that makes them happy to do their thing and appreciate being taken on a leash to explore the world.

While our lives are obviously much more complicated than the simple life of a dog, I think there is a lot we can learn from dogs about happiness. Most importantly is that we can CHOOSE to be happy.

My mom taught me from as young as I can remember to smile when I greet people every morning, regardless of how I feel or how I feel about them. She said it will make you feel happy and other people will be happy to be around you. It took me a while to follow her advice, but ultimately I did and it benefited me greatly.

My grandmother also used to say that attitude is everything and that attitude is a choice you make… another wise woman.

If you’re struggling with a lack of happiness in your life, start by making the conscious choice to be happy. It takes practice, just like anything worthwhile in life, but you will get good at it after some practice.

Also, like anyone practicing to do anything, it is important to study and measure your progress. The University of Pennsylvania they has a Positive Psychology Center and you can access their web site at http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/. There are a number of great surveys you can take in order to get a clearer picture of your current base level of happiness and good suggestions on helping you choose how to be a happier person.

And lastly, pet a dog. They’ve got this whole happiness thing figured out.