How to Promote Happiness Within Your Family

Being close to your family is a unique feeling. It is the type of closeness that you can't get from anyone else. In a healthy, stable family, this feeling translates into a happiness, contentment and a feeling of security that can't be duplicated in other relationships.

How can you have this type of family happiness if you don't already have it in your family?

- Communicate, talk together, be interested in what matters to others in your family, share feelings and thoughts, and really listen to what others in your family have to say;
- Patience – treat family members with the same consideration you would a friend;
- Be happy with yourself and content with your life and these feelings will pass to other members of your family, share the happiness you feel;
- Enjoy your family in the moment, not later when you have more time (sometimes there isn't a later time, there's always just a busy time and then children have grown up and gone). Family should be a number one priority;
- Enjoy fun things together and make exciting plans together for the future, i.e.: an outing, a family event or a vacation;
- Give each other their personal space;
- It is more important to give family members your time and undivided attention than it is to shower them with toys and other gifts;
- Eat dinner together. It is a perfect time to talk and stay in touch with what each person in the family is doing;
- Look at life as a cup being half full and it will help your family do so also;
- Feel grateful for what you have and avoid resentment and negativity at all costs;
- Be positive, smile often and make laughter a common occurrence in your family;
- Do things together as a family – fun things. Or maybe do something together as a family for others too, i.e.: keep a portion of a street clean, pick up garbage at your local beach, help an elderly neighbor, or give socks or mitts to the homeless when the weather turns cold. There are so many things that can be done and it is a perfect opportunity for a family to plan something to do together;
- Think, as a family, about the things that are important in life, i.e.: more about our environment and less about materialism. Does having a bigger house or a newer car make us happier? Happiness doesn't lie with more and better things. Happiness is family and friends and living a life we can look back on and be proud about.

I am very fortunate to have a close family who enjoy the company of each other. We socialize and although we are family, we are also friends. Becoming friends with your family will also help to promote happiness.