Help us support Boston and The One Fund

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Nataly Kogan

Dear Happier and Boston community,

Happier is a Boston-based happiness company, so when our beloved city was torn apart by the Marathon tragedy our hearts were broken. But we were uplifted by the countless acts of courage, kindness and the outpouring of support for Boston we saw from our community in Happier. (We shared a few of these moments on our blog a few days later.)

We believe that moments of beauty and goodness and yes, even happiness, can be found in even the bleakest of situations. Help us help those who need our support by telling us how Boston makes you happier.

For every happy moment you share in Happier during the week of May 13th about how living in Boston or working in Boston or just thinking about Boston makes you happier, we’ll donate $1 to The One Fund.

The Boston moments you share will become part of a Traveling Wall Of Happy Moments that we hope to share with the hospitals that helped the injured and are continuing to help the healing. Life is made up of moments. Share yours with us. Together we can make Boston stronger — and happier — again.

Please share your happy moments from the Happier app. To download it, please click here.

Thank you,

Nataly & the Happier Team

What makes you happier, Matthew Stanford?

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Happier team

Today we chat (via email) with Matthew Stanford, one of our awesome Happier users from Columbus, Ohio. To learn more about Matthew, check out his About.me page.

So, what makes you happier, Matthew?
Beautiful skies, non-fiction literature, children, relaxing music, intellectual discourse, design, bright colors, laughter, my niece and nephew, being outside, seeing my own progress, seeing my family and friends happy and healthy.

Have you realized something about being happier that maybe you didn’t when, well, you were younger?
I certainly have! Just as there is always a reason to complain, there is also always a reason to smile. Happiness relies heavily on how we direct our attention.

Happiness can not depend on other people, possessions or circumstances. Things change; I want happiness to be a constant in my life.

Say you’re having a rough day. What are your go-to ways to feel better?
Some days all it takes is a shower, some meditation, hot tea, and a chat with my grandmother about nothing in particular. Other days it takes a long walk through the park during the daytime until sunset, observing and appreciating nature at its finest.

Favorite happy food of all time?
Northstar (veggie) Burger!

What do you dig about using Happier?
The community! While none of our lives are perfect (nor do any of us try and pretend they are), we make sure to focus on the good aspects and maintain healthy attitudes. Happiness is definitely contagious so I can read a few happy moments and they automatically lift my spirits.

If you’d like to take part in our ‘What makes you happier?” interview series, just shoot an email to team@happier.com

Boston, we love you!

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Nataly Kogan

Happier is based in Boston and yesterday was just a normal working day for the team until the horror of the bombings at the Boston Marathon. When we heard the news everything came to a halt. Like many others we jumped on Twitter, major news sites, and our phones to check on friends and family. Some of us had friends running, many of us had friends helping out along the route or waiting in the grandstands. We were lucky and everyone we knew was OK, at least physically. I think it’s fair to say that few people in Boston were OK emotionally or are feeling OK today.

What happened was scary, sad, tragic, infuriating, and shocking. I felt in a daze for an hour or so, with pangs of memories from living in New York in the aftermath of 9/11. I am not a crier but I really wanted to cry. And then I opened Happier on my phone.

If you’re not familiar with our app, we have a Discover tab which shows happy moments form our community. We look at all the moments people share publicly and select some to be featured on this tab. I probably handle 70-80% of selecting which content to feature, wearing my second hat as editorial lead for the team until we are able to hire someone. When I opened Happier and went to our internal tool to select moments for the Discover tab, I no longer wanted to cry. I felt literally lifted up by the outpouring of kindness, support, strength, resolve, and genuine incrediblness from the Happier community. Yesterday was not a day to feel happy or even happier, but what I learned from our users is that it was absolutely a day to find something positive in the aftermath of the tragedy and focus on that instead of giving into the monsters who caused and reel in their awful.

This is a difficult post to write without sounding opportunistic or self-serving but I felt such a compelling need to share this that I am taking the risk. Below are just a few of the happy moments our community shared yesterday (all of these were shared publicly). For each one here there were hundreds more just like it. I wanted to share them here as our small tribute to everyone affected by the tragedy.

Boston, we love you, we are proud to be part of you, and we are here to do our part in helping you stand stronger, and brighter, and awesomer.

What makes you happier, Britt Reints?

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Happier team

This week we chat with Britt Reints – a writer, traveler, mom, blogger and someone who shares our passion for finding small happy moments in everyday. Britt blogs at In Pursuit of Happiness and you can also follow her @missbritt.

What makes you happier, Britt?
I think two things that I’ve learned that make me happiest are creating things and connecting with people. And travel will always be one of my most beloved things.

Have you realized something about being happier that maybe you didn’t when, well, you were younger?
I used to think that if I could be more like other people, I would be happier. I’ve realized since that I am more like other people than I realized, AND that a lot of people who appear “normal” aren’t as happy as I’d like to be.

Your absolute favorite happy place is…
On a warm beach by the ocean.

What advice would you give your kids about being happy?
The biggest thing I hope my kids hear is that they can choose happiness. They still seem convinced that what happens to or around them is what makes them happy.

What do you dig about using Happier?
My favorite part is seeing what makes other people happy!

Check out our last week’s What makes you happier? interview with Susan Wagner of The Working Closet!

What makes you happier, Susan Wagner?

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Nataly Kogan

Happier Friday! This week’s “What makes you happier?” interview is with the fabulous Susan Wagner, who is a personal stylist, mom, marathon runner, blogger, and so much more. You can follow her on Twitter @WorkingCloset.

Susan, what makes you happier?

Running. I started running almost three years ago and it has changed my life; I’m more focused and better able to handle stress, and that makes me happier. In November of 2011 I ran my first half marathon; I’ve run five more since and am running another in April. Training for longer races compels me to prioritize and to say no to things that don’t make me happy. Running also lets me get inside my own head in really useful ways. My long training runs function as a kind of meditation for me, a chance to sort out my thoughts and gather myself and come back to my everyday life with a more positive attitude. And because I am running and training, I eat better and rest more, so I’m healthier — and happier.

Have you realized something about being happier that maybe you didn’t when, well, you were younger?

The things that make me the happiest are most often very small things, like an unexpected hug from one of my children or a text from my husband or a phone call from a friend. When I was younger I was always counting on big things to make me happy — finishing a project or falling in love or going on vacation. I still enjoy the big things, but the little steps are what make me really happy — which means that I can find a million happy things in each day.

Favorite feel-good movie? (We don’t judge, seriously.)
Continue reading →

What makes you happier? Kicking off our Friday interviews!

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Nataly Kogan

We’re kicking off our Friday ‘What makes you happier?’ interview series with someone really special and dear to our Happier hearts.

Cristy was one of the very first users of our app and has been an incredible supporter of our vision (as well as someone who has shared tons of really helpful feedback that’s helped make Happier better!) We’re lucky to have her as part of our extended Happier family.

Cristy, what makes you happier?
While I knew this to be true, according to my Happier stats, my family is the tops for making me happier. But also, beautiful nature images, simple gratefulness and real organic kindness.

Have you realized something about being happier that maybe you didn’t when, well, you were younger?
When I was younger life was about living in the present. As I get older, life becomes textured by experience. There are two ways to look at it: Either see the texture as added value to life or get bogged down by the complexity of it all. I think even the best optimist can get lost in the day-to-day and feel overwhelmed and even depressed by some of life’s harder textures. So being happier is a constant maintenance and almost Buddhist monk-like practice. Like marriage and friendships and family-ships, being happier requires commitment. Continue reading →

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