Happiness is a Choice
By: Harrison Shih
Tags: Psychology, Self Improvement, Habit Building, Journaling, Positive Thinking

Through journaling with discipline, anyone can find lasting happiness

I often find myself wrestling with one question — what separates someone who is happy from someone who is not? I found my answer in a place where I did not expect, the Taiwanese Army.

In search for happiness

Two years ago, I served as a psychologist in the Taiwanese Army on a remote island that is reachable only by a 10-hour boat ride. During my regular visits to various combat units, I counseled with hundreds of soldiers with regards to their mental health. What I enjoyed the most on those trips was reviewing the soldiers’ weekly journals, as mandated by the military to get a pulse on team morale. The topics ranged from thoughtful reflection on leadership challenges, emotionally charged grievances against commanders, hopes and dreams for civilian life, sincere words of missing significant others, and occasionally, depressive or even suicidal thoughts.

What especially intrigued me about these journal entries was that with the same significant, stressful events that occurred (e.g., the largest annual training exercise being conducted, or a soldier being assigned to station on the island over Chinese New Year), some people were downright distraught, while others were content with the outcome. Overtime, I realized what separated the soldiers who were happy from those who were not was one thing — “interpretation;” it was the way they interpreted a particular external event that determined their emotional responses. This insight led me to consider: would it be possible to transform how soldiers interpret events by changing their journaling habits, and thereby helping them achieve greater joy?

Looking for answers

Before I attempted to reform the journaling practice in the army, I needed evidence to validate my thinking. Upon further examination, I found extensive research on the positive effects of journaling. For example, identifying and documenting the impact of thoughts and feelings can improve perspectives, mood (Beck & Beck, 1995) and functioning of depressed and anxious individuals (Nicholas, 2006).

Additionally, Maud Purcell, a psychotherapist and executive coach, found that “the act of writing accesses your left brain, which is analytical and rational. While your left brain is occupied, your right brain is free to create, intuit and feel. Writing removes mental blocks and allows you to use all your brainpower to better understand yourself and others.” Furthermore, in the book The Emotional Life of Your Brain, Dr. Richard Davidson found that “the neuroplasticity of the brain allows the brain to change in response to our internal thoughts and intentions.” Therefore, through consistent journaling, it is possible to improve our brain and thinking patterns.

How journaling changed my life

Based on my findings, I was able to convince my commander and psychologists in other units to experiment with using journaling as a tool to help soldiers build mental agility. Furthermore, journaling has had profound impact on my life. For example, as a current student pursuing my MBA at the Kellogg School of Management, I often think about how I can optimize my time in school. Journaling has helped me in several ways, such as staying positive in the midst of the stressful recruiting season, reflecting on my learning from feedback, appreciating meaningful relationships, and focusing on my priorities while facing a plethora of exciting alternatives.

You can choose to pursue happiness, today

I believe happiness is a choice. Ask yourself: do you want to proactively pursue happiness, or do you let external circumstances dictate your well-being?

There are thousands of journaling tools and routines out there. Rather than succumbing to your perfectionist tendency to find the perfect method, you should experiment with various approaches and discover what works best for you. To help you get started, here is what has worked for me: I set aside 3 minutes at the end of my day to write down three things:

1. What I am most grateful for today 2. What I learned today 3. What was a negative thought I had, and what is a more positive way to reframe that thought

That’s it, three sentences in 3 minutes. I encourage you to open your favorite note-taking app or grab a pen and give it a try today.

So, you might ask: what if I fail to keep up my journal daily with discipline? My advice would be the following: first, continue to be intentional about prioritizing happiness if it is important to you. Second, incorporate journaling into your existing routine to make it stick. Third, be compassionate toward yourself. If you forget to do it, there is no need to criticize yourself. Instead, simply give it another try the next day. We are not perfect after all.

Personally, I have found discipline to be tough to develop, and that is why my co-founders and I started Quokka. We want to develop a personalized journaling tool to help people develop mental strength, self-compassion and discipline — one day at a time.

If you are interested in being part of a community of people who choose to prioritize happiness and personal growth, please check out our website and follow us on social media. We look forward to hearing your feedback and thoughts!

Website: https://quokkajournal.com/

Instagram: @quokka_journal

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quokkajournal/