I started answering "I'm Happy". This is what is happening when people hear that.

A multi-millionaire (MM) was exhausted with all the work and the stress from his super busy life. One fine day, he decides it is time for taking some time off. So he books a private island trip for a week. Once he reaches there, he is happy to be away from the constant hustle and bustle of his daily grind.

The next day he wakes up early (as usual) and steps out to take a walk on the beach. He is all alone on that private island having paid a lot of money for the exclusive solitude. He wanders off deep in thoughts.

Suddenly, he sees a young man (YM) lazing on the beach. Surprised, he asks the man "hey, what are you doing here?".

YM: "Enjoying the beach!".

MM: "You look pretty young so I guess you did not pay to be here. What do you do in life?"

YM: "Enjoy my life!".

MM: "You should work."

YM: "What will happen if I work?"

MM: "You will make money"

YM: "What will happen if I make money?"

MM: "You can have a good house, car, and luxury items that can make your life easier".

YM: "What will happen because of that?"

MM: "You can then marry a lovely girl".

YM: "What will happen then?"

MM: "You will experience love. You will have children".

YM: "What will happen then?"

MM: "Your children will grow up, go to school, graduate, get some good jobs and then they will take care of you".

YM: "What will happen then?"

MM: "You will be HAPPY".

YM: "What the heck? I am happy NOW. Why should I do all those things for years to have what I have NOW?. I AM HAPPY. NOW".

This story actually is about one of the most innate desires of human beings. To be happy.

But just how do people become happy?

Do they continue to be happy once they get what they thought will make them happy?

To experiment about it, I tried something.

I started answering "I'm Happy" . This is what is happening when people hear that. 

"How ya' doin'?"

When someone asks that question, the most common answers are:

• I'm good
• Doin' well
• I'm fine
• Can't complain
• I'm okay
• Doin' great!

About 5-6 weeks back, I decided to try something different.

Whenever anyone asked me "How ya' doin'?", I answered, "I'm Happy!"

The reactions to this "unexpected" answer from me are truly fascinating.

• Almost every time I say that it instantly brings out a smile on the face of the person asking me. I think the answer makes them happy too, even if it is a momentary feeling.
• It brought out curiosity. People wanted to know "why" was I happy. They anticipated some kind of positive news from me (cause-effect expectation).
• Almost every time, more "happy" talk followed. It created a "happy mood"!
• "Being happy is a good thing", was another but not so common response, accompanied by some sort of puzzled look - that also implied curiosity what caused the happiness.
• "I like that. I should/will try that when I speak with people" was also one of the most common reactions I received.
• "That's weird. Never heard that type of answer before". The look on the face was pretty puzzled!
• At a later time on the same day or the next day, when I asked them "How ya' doin?", I got the response "I'm happy!". It caught on!!!
• People who had heard my "happy" answer, now ask me how ya' doin' and then themselves add "happy?".
• Almost every time I pass by the person to whom I had given the "happy" answer, I receive a nice smile back! It wasn't always the case before.
• Now when people ask me how ya' doin', and if I say something different - like "busy" - I get a question back, "oh, not happy eh?". I then say "happy to be busy". It creates smiles and giggles.
• I am guessing that "happy" is now associated with my name. "Happy Hitendra". Isn't that kinda cool?

The word "happy" is hard-wired into the human psyche, associated with a feel-good mood. Just the mention of that word changes the usual interactions pretty instantly.

I invite you to experiment with "I' am happy".

And then please SHARE what happens to the people who interact with you frequently, to your mood, to their mood. Do they react differently? Did it start catching on? Please SHARE your experiences in the comments below.

#happy