Instant Happy Journal: 365 Days of Inspiration, Gratitude, and Joy

by Karen Salmansohn

Overview

Jam-packed with 365 “happiness prompters,” this colorful journal is sure to brighten your day.

Each page features a specific intention, inspiring quote, surprising scientific fact, or thought-provoking question to ponder. When you approach your day with Salmansohn's "happiness prompters" in mind, you amp up your ability to notice (and create!) many more joyous moments in your day. But that's just half of what it takes to live a supremely happy life. This journal teaches the top two habits of happy people: to naturally set their intention to enjoy a happy day, then end the day reflecting on what made them happy. When you end your day writing about what went right, you further strengthen your happiness mindset.

With fill-in dates so that you can write and reflect at your own pace, this little journal features a graphic design and fresh attitude perfect for today's modern happiness-seeker.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781607748243
Publisher:	Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed
Publication date:	10/06/2015
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 6.60(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

KAREN SALMANSOHN is the best-selling author of more than 25 books with over 1 million copies sold. She has been a featured happiness expert on the Today show, The View, CNN, Fox News, Real Time with Bill Maher, and is an online columnist for Oprah, Psychology Today, AOL, and the Huffington Post. She and her work have been covered by the New York Times, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Time, Marie Claire, Fast Company, InStyle, Self, Elle, and the New Yorker. Salmansohn has also worked as an image consultant for MTV, Nickelodeon, Oxygen Media, and L'Oreal and speaks on how to increase happiness, creativity, and productivity, most recently in the TEDx talk, "Fun Is a High Performance Fuel."

Read an Excerpt

My mission: to help you to live your happiest life.

My strategy: I’ve filled the pages of this Instant Happy Journal with what I call “happiness prompters”—a range of motivational quotes, thought-provoking questions, scientific research studies, and soul-stirring philosophical thoughts. Each page’s happiness prompter is meant to inspire you to reflect and focus on where the most joy, appreciation, and love can be found in your day (and your life).

This journal also has fill-in dates so you can reflect and write at your own pace. Feel free to write either in the morning (to set an intention) or at day’s end (to share a reflection).
Many of the happiness prompters are ones I use with my family. For example, in my home we have one of my Instant Happy posters displayed on the inner side of our front door, which we read every day:

“Something awesome is going to happen today.

I can’t wait to see what it will be.” 

Having this happiness prompter in our faces on a daily basis reminds us to be what I call “awesome seekers.”

Keeping this quote in mind helps us tune into the frequency of awesome—and to perk up and appreciate what’s happy in our day. Being an awesome seeker has been shown to increase happiness—in particular, when the awesomeness sought gets recorded in a journal. In a recent study, University of California researchers divided participants into three groups. The first wrote once a week in a journal about five awesome things they were grateful for. The second described five daily hassles. The third listed five random events. The results? Those in the first journal group reported an increase in happiness, more optimism about their future, and more improvement in health problems than those in the other two groups.

The Instant Happy Journal you now hold in your hands is filled with 365 different happiness prompters. Each one will inspire you in a variety of ways to be an awesome seeker—paying mindful attention to all the good people and good events your life is blessed with! (And mindfully reframing those less-good challenges.) 

With this Instant Happy Journal, day by day (or night by night) you will train your brain to focus on where the most inspiration, gratitude, and joy are to be found. Soon you will say farewell forever to a glass-half-empty mindset and say hello to a new awesome-seeker mentality.

P.S. If you’ve written down something that you feel is especially inspiring, I’d love to hear it! You can write to me at notsalmon.com, and tweet or Instagram an excerpt to @notsalmon (#instanthappy).

Editorial Reviews

"Salmansohn reminds us that in life, we are in charge of our own destiny. We have the power to overcome through gratitude, humor and courage."
 – Tony Robbins, New York Times Bestselling Author
 
"Karen is an expert on psychological research studies to help you not only recover from the tough times, but also bounce back to an even higher level than your previous bests."
– Tim Ferriss, New York Times Bestselling Author
 
"Karen packs a library’s worth of proven insights into all she does. For anyone mired in the dumps – or who just wants to live more joyfully – Karen’s for you!" 
– Gretchen Rubin, New York Times Bestselling Author
 
"Karen’s writing is like Paxil without the side effects.  If you’ve been sucker-punched by life (in other words, if you’re human), Karen gives you empowering, user-friendly tips to deal with it. The very act of reading her writing will make you feel happier."
- A.J. Jacobs, New York Times Bestselling Author
 
"Salmansohn’s writing is bold, playful, insightful – with powerful metaphors that provoke and inspire. Her kinetic images amplify her message and take her books to a new level of literary experience." 
– Deepak Chopra, New York Times Bestselling Author
 
"If you’re not happy with what you’re getting, maybe you need a whole new plan. Karen Salmansohn offers you one. Start now!"
– Seth Godin, New York Times Bestselling Author

"Karen Salmansohn is a creative force of nature. I love her insights and relentless commitment to helping people live happy and successful lives. Her smart sense of humor and unusual metaphors make changing your life not only do-able but, totally fun. I simply adore her!" 
– Marie Forleo, founder The B School
 
"Salmansohn’s got sass and shine! Her work sparks people to wake up, and at the same time, gives the comfort of perennial wisdom — such a divine combo. Sass and shine, in the best packaging!"
– Danielle LaPorte
 
"Life is full of surprise challenges – and Karen Salmansohn offers informative research from the world of resiliency psychology to help ensure you bounce back from tough times stronger, better, happier!" 
– Marci Shimoff, New York Times Bestselling Author
 
"Salmansohn’s advice for regaining your footing after a life set back is smart, do-able and even fun." 
– Lucy S. Danziger, Editor-in-Chief, SELF Magazine
 
"Karen Salmansohn is the high priestess of great attitude!" 
– Marshall Goldsmith, New York Times Bestselling Author
 
"Karen Salmansohn will lift your spirits at the same time, focus your path in the truths, challenges and opportunities found in everyday life."
– Sharon Salzberg, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society
 
"Karen Salmansohn is a big brain in high heels."
– Goldie Hawn, actress and founder The Hawn Foundation

From the Publisher