Dan Buettner’s fascinating book Thrive discusses the keys to happiness. One of the most important key to your happiness is your relationships.

In an interview on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday, he cites what we think is a staggering statistic:

The happiest people in America socialize seven hours a day.

Seven hours! Now that’s a lot of interaction!

But it’s necessary if you want to be happy. We’ll discuss four relationships that yield many happy returns.

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Your BFF at work

Do you want to be happier at work? You can be, starting today.

It’s really simple. You’ll be happier at work if you have a best friend there.
It’s the #1 factor in determining whether or not you’ll like your job.

New friends

Here’s another one, G. Each new friend increases your happiness by about 10%.

At times, you may think you have enough friends. But you can never have too many friends.

Of course, you’ll invest time to build and maintain those relationships. But we often over-estimate what that takes.

Go out for dinner together – you have to eat anyway.

Invite them over to watch the game – you’ll have more people to celebrate with if you win. Or, if you lose, remember that misery loves company!

Your spouse

Here’s another interesting tidbit that Dan Buettner found in his research – married people are three times happier than single people.

It’s kind of funny, in an ironic sort of way.
What do comedians joke about? Marriage.
What do guys poke fun at? Married life.

Well, at it turns out, marriage has a huge upside when it comes to happiness.

Your parents

There’s one more relationship we haven’t talked about yet. And it’s the relationship that will yield the greatest returns when you look back in time.

It’s your relationship with your parents. Fortunately, we’re in the time of year when we have the opportunity to spend more time with our Moms and Dads.

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Now, I have to tell you – I’ve lost both of my parents. Dad’s been gone over fifteen years and we lost Mom five years ago.

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And I lost my Mom thirteen years ago. I’m blessed, though – Dad’s still going strong.

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Occasionally we’ll run into someone who doesn’t get along with their parents. These are people in their 30s, 40s, and even older who are still holding a grudge.

Of course, sometimes parents behaved poorly. There are legitimate reasons to be upset. But that’s not what we’re talking about.

We’re talking about parents who tried their best. But who weren’t perfect.

You know what? Parents aren’t supposed to be perfect. They’re just supposed to provide a benchmark.

You can follow their lead. Or you can do the opposite.

Their job is to set an example. Your job is to learn.

They may get it right. They may not. It’s up to you to decide and act accordingly. But let bygones by bygones.

It’s a busy time of year. While most other people are worrying about getting the right gift, you can give the gift that keeps on giving by focusing on your relationships.

They will yield many happy returns. And that’s BIGG success!

We’re so happy to see you here today. Thanks for checking in.

Until next time, here’s to your BIGG success!

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