C'Mon, Get Happy: Author Will Bowen Talks Getting Happy This Year

NEW YORK (WLNY) -- Will Bowen, the author of "Happy This Year," says happiness is already withing all of us.

Bowen proclaims that happiness is our destiny and birthright, and - even better - we actually are already happy to some extent.

We just have to recognize happiness, claim it and expand on it.

"People think that when they have or achieve or receive something, they're going to be happy," he said. "Studies have found it's the exact opposite."

It starts inside of you.

"When you feel you're happy, you project this vibrational, high energy, and then people and opportunities come to you."

The philosophy is simple - you must create an awareness of your happiness level and this awareness will lead to even greater happiness.  And, just as he guided readers into creating a habit of not complaining, he lays out a way for us to create a habit of measuring and increasing your happiness levels.

Divided into three action categories  -- Clarifying Happiness, Mastering The Causes Of Happiness, and Living Happiness - Bowen's roadmap to increased happiness provides profound insight and even some counterintuitive thinking along the way.

• There is no happiness outside of a happy mindset. You must change your thoughts so that they are in line with those of a happy person.
• The best way to increase your happiness level is to set a weekly happiness goal and track your progress toward it.   The author's free HappyStat smartphone app (available from iTunes, Google Play and Amazon) helps readers track and increase their happiness levels just as a calorie counter helps a person track and shed pounds.
• Finding a "happiness buddy" to partner and regularly check in with can help you achieve your goal together.
• Quietly repeating the phrase "I am happy" as you fall asleep will lead to waking up with a higher happiness level, as your subconscious absorbs these positive thoughts.
• Contrary to popular thinking, venting does not make you happier. Harsh words create a harsh reality.
• External factors (money, job, situations) are shown to account for only 10% of our overall happiness. The rest is in your hands!
• At the conclusion of each chapter, Bowen provides a helpful summary of lessons and action steps for readers to follow.

By removing the mental blocks, tweaking lifestyle choices, establishing a spiritual connection and becoming acutely aware of the chatter in their brains people can realize and enjoy greater happiness in their lives. Will Bowen is proof positive that it can work.