If you can be like happy people, you can be happy too!
-MICHAEL W. FORDYCE, Ph.D.
-MICHAEL W. FORDYCE, Ph.D.
FOURTEEN FUNDAMENTALS PROGRAM
Created By: MICHAEL W. FORDYCE, Ph.D.
Answers the question – What are the top 14 traits of happy people?
The Fourteen Fundamentals are fourteen, highly characteristic traits of happy individuals, according to years of collected research. Each of these 14 happiness traits, according to the research, makes a significant contribution to the happiness that the happiest individuals enjoy. All of these fourteen happiness traits can be developed by ordinary individuals. Virtually anyone who develops these characteristics will become noticeably happier.
The Fourteen Fundamentals are:
1. Be more active and keep busy.
2. Spend more time socializing.
3. Be productive at meaningful work.
4. Get better-organized and plan things out.
5. Stop worrying.
6. Lower your expectations and aspirations.
7. Develop positive optimistic thinking.
8. Get present-oriented.
9. WOAHP -- work on a healthy personality.
10. Develop an outgoing, social personality.
11. Be yourself.
12. Eliminate the negative feelings and problems.
13. Close relationships are #1 source of happiness.
14. VALHAP -- the "secret fundamental".
1. Be more active and keep busy.
2. Spend more time socializing.
3. Be productive at meaningful work.
4. Get better-organized and plan things out.
5. Stop worrying.
6. Lower your expectations and aspirations.
7. Develop positive optimistic thinking.
8. Get present-oriented.
9. WOAHP -- work on a healthy personality.
10. Develop an outgoing, social personality.
11. Be yourself.
12. Eliminate the negative feelings and problems.
13. Close relationships are #1 source of happiness.
14. VALHAP -- the "secret fundamental".
To get an in-depth look at each of these fourteen, fundamental happiness traits click on the links below the traits.
Fundamental One: Be More Active and Keep Busy
One of the most obvious things that emerged from the happiness research data over the years is how active happy people tend to be and how much they have going on in their lives.
Fundamental One, therefore, is based on this research finding. Happy people are extremely active people. They are remarkably busy, they're always doing something, they're always on the go. Happy people seem to pack a lot more into their day, than do most average people. Unhappy individuals, in contrast, waste a large amount of their time and never seem to get around to doing much. Their lives are relatively inactive, habitual, and boring.
In this chapter we will find that happy people not only outstrip most of us in terms of the sheer quantity of activity, but also in its quality -- and discover a certain "essence" to their active lifestyle" that eludes most other people. In addition, our discussion of Fundamental #1 will reveal the five, specific types of activities happy people spend most of their time in.
Read more
Fundamental 2: Spend More Time Socializing
The second Fundamental, "Spend More Time Socializing," is based on the strong, social theme that has been clearly drawn throughout the research we covered in Volume I of this diad. More than anything else, an active and rewarding social life appears to have a major impact on personal happiness. As we've seen previously: more than success, more than income, more than a lot of "good times" -- indeed, more than any other factor -- warm, social ties contribute the most to happiness.
This chapter, therefore, will concentrate on the specific social factors which contribute so much to happiness.
Read more
Fundamental Three: Be Productive At Meaningful Work
Fundamental Three emphasizes that happiness can be enhanced if one can "Be Productive At Meaningful Work."
When we examine this Fundamental, we'll see that there are two key elements to it: "productivity" and "meaning."
"Productivity" acknowledges a life of continued growth and expansion, not only in themes of long-term achievements, but in the everyday steps which lead to them. It also acknowledges that long periods of non-productivity can easily cause one to fall into depression. "Meaning," on the other hand, suggests the importance of finding purpose and significance in one's life through one's job or avocations.
As we shall discover when we examine this Fundamental: those who find a productive and meaningful way to live, will find one of the richest and most abiding sources of personal happiness in their life, as well.
Read more
Fundamental Four: Get Better Organized & Plan Things Out
Fundamental Four is to "Get Better Organized" It is based on the research on happy individuals which finds that they are well-organized, non-procrastinating, and efficient. Such organization displays itself not only in their daily approach to life, but also in their long-terms plans and sense of direction in life. Happy people seem to know where they want to go in life, and they appear to have the personal organizational skills to help them get there.
Unhappy people tend to lack long-term direction in life. They're goals and plans are poorly formed. They tend to flounder as they go through life, working more on impulse than planning. And especially on a day-to-day basis, they tend to be chronic procrastinators.
In our treatment of Fundamental Four we deal with some basic approaches you can use to "Get Better Organized" in your life.
Read more
Fundamental Five: Stop Worrying
Fundamental Five deals with what we refer to as "the arch-enemy" of personal happiness: common, everyday worry.
Worry is probably the most detrimental thing the average person does to ruin their happiness. When we explore Fundamental #5, we examine your worry-patterns in detail. You'll probably discover that you worry a lot more than you ever imagined, and you'll come to appreciate who destructive it is to your own happiness. From there, we can help you learn how to control your worry and become more like happier individuals who naturally appear to have low worry-levels.
Read more
Fundamental Six: Lower Your Expectations & Aspirations
Fundamental Six is called "the controversial Fundamental" because wherever I lecture on the Fundamentals, "Lower Your Expectations and Aspirations" always seems to spark the most heated debates. It is understandable, however, since Fundamental Six flies right in the face of common wisdom regarding happiness. We live in a highly competitive culture which generally stresses high goals, lofty ambitions, and great success as being essential for happiness. Thus most people are taken aback to learn that the research seems to show quite the opposite. Instead of being highly ambitious and achievement-motivated, happy people appear to be more modest in their goals and in their need for great success.
Read more
Fundamental Seven: Develop Optimistic, Positive Thinking
We have nick-named Fundamental Seven "The Royal Road to Personal Happiness" because, of all the traits we've discovered in happy people, optimism appears to be one of the most significant and potent to all.
According to the research, happy individuals are immensely optimistic and tend to display highly positive thought-patterns (while unhappy people tend to be rather pessimistic and think in negative, critical terms). Happy people tend to view most situations in their life in a positive light. They look for the bright side, seeing "the cup as half-full rather than half-empty."
Optimistic, positive thinking has such an important impact on personal happiness that we'll spend an extended analysis of it in This chapter. We shall explore, in great detail, how thinking-patterns, like optimism, can affect happiness -- and how you might develop a more positive thinking yourself.
Read more
Fundamental Eight: Get Present-Oriented
The next fundamental is "Get Present Oriented."
"Present-orientation" is a technical terms used by clinical psychologists. Essentially it refers to the ability to live life fully in the present -- in the "here and now," so to speak, rather than in the "there and then." Happiness research finds that happy people tend to be quite present-oriented. They tend to get the most out of each and every day. They tend to focused more on the immediate present. They are not particularly preoccupied with past hurts or regrets, nor unduly worried or apprehensive about the future. Apparently, "these are the good old days" for happy individuals, and most anyone can be a bit happier if they can focus more on the present.
Read more
Fundamental Nine: Work On A Healthy Personality
Fundamental Nine is known as "WOAHP" -- initials which stand for "Work On A Healthy Personality."
One of the major factors happiness researchers have consistently found in the data is the strong relationship between happiness and mental health. As we saw in the previous Volume, happy individuals are extremely healthy people. In virtually every assessment technique psychologists have used, happy people tend to excel.
Because a healthy personality contributes so much to personal happiness, "Work on A Healthy Personality" is one of the most productive Fundamentals a person can work on. Yet, the development of a healthy personality involves a complex interplay of many psychological factors, which originate in childhood and take a lifetime to solidify. Thus our treatment of this happiness-trait will can be cursory, at best. Traditionally, therefore, what we have chosen to do in dealing with this complex topic, has been to summarize the collected research on health psychology by presenting five of the most basic and easily understood principles. We've named these principles of mental health the "WOAHP Five”
Read more
Fundamental Ten: Develop an Outgoing, Social Personality
Fundamental Ten brings us back to the strong social theme that permeates the research on happiness. It suggests that you would be a lot happier if you could "Develop an Outgoing, Social Personality."
We've seen how socially active and successful happy people are, indeed the Second Fundamental says "Spend More Time Socializing." But how can one take advantage of this primary source of happiness if one is shy, inward, or socially uncomfortable? The answer may be found in our upcoming analysis of this Fundamental.
According to the research, happy individuals are remarkably extroverted, outgoing, friendly, and at ease, socially. Because of this, they find their lives filled with many more social opportunities than shyer people do, and thus their life is happier as a result.
Read more
Fundamental Eleven: Be Yourself
In my years of teaching as a college professor, the one Fundamental which seems to hold the greatest insight for my young students is Fundamental Eleven: "Be Yourself." It is based on the research on happy people which finds them to be remarkably candid, spontaneous, expressive, and unaffected; and it is founded on the simple proposition that happiness flows easily and effortlessly when you just let yourself "Be Yourself."
As we shall see in our discussion of this Fundamental, a major source of unhappiness comes when we suppress our "real," authentic self. Perhaps it is a misguided attempt to be accepted or "fit in," perhaps it is the desire to live-up to others' expectations -- but whatever the reason, the fear of being ourselves creates more unhappiness than it's worth.
Read more
Fundamental Twelve: Eliminate the Negative
Fundamental Twelve is "Eliminate Negative Feelings and Problems" or "Eliminate the Negative," for short. It is also known as "the depressing Fundamental," because the topic is not especially pleasant.
Most of the Fourteen Fundamentals deal with positive characteristics the research has found in happy people. But happiness is founded not only in the presence of numerous positive circumstances, but in the absence of many negative ones. In other words, not only do happy people have a host of good things going on in their lives, they also appear to have much less of the bad things. Typically, happy people have far fewer personal problems, fears, hostilities, neurotic symptoms, anxieties, past traumas, dysfunctional backgrounds, or similar difficulties, than most average people do. Because of this, Fundamental Twelve is devoted to recognition of how such negative circumstances thwart many individual's attempts to work toward happiness. Clearly, for many people, happiness is not simply a matter of doing positive things. Often there are deeper personal difficulties which block their journey.
Our presentation of Fundamental Twelve deals with this "dark side" of happiness.
Read more
Fundamental Thirteen: Close Relationships Are # 1
More than any other factor, research on happiness shows that close relationships (friends, family, etc.) are the most impactful source of personal happiness of all. This is especially true of the closest kind of relationship we find in life: romantic, couple relationships.
Fundamental Thirteen, therefore, will examine this, "the #1 source of happiness," in detail -- particularly, love relationships. In our discussion, we'll learn what marriage counselors believe are the most important ingredients of successful relationships, we'll analyze typical relationship patterns, we'll climb the mythical "Mountain of Love," and we'll pinpoint the obvious "danger signs" of troublesome relationships. It is a discussion which should prove insightful not only for those of you who are already in a love-relationship, but just as well for those of you who may be hoping for one.
Read more
Fundamental Fourteen: VALHAP
Finally, there is Fundamental Fourteen. It goes by the acronym "VALHAP," but we have always called it "The Secret Fundamental."
Traditionally, in every forum where I have presented the Fourteen Fundamentals, I have kept VALHAP a secret from my audiences until the very end of my presentations. I do this for two reasons...
First, VALHAP provides an elegant conclusion to all the other Fundamentals, thus it is nicer to save it until the last and have it linger as a bit of a mystery. Certainly, you have to admit it will be more fun, as a reader, to "save the best 'til last."
Second, and more importantly, if you postpone reading about VALHAP until you've read your way up to it, you'll provide yourself with a remarkably pleasant surprise. You'll find that VALHAP has already happened to you!
You see, Fundamental Fourteen involves one of the most important happiness-traits we've discovered in the research. It's effect is profound, yet it is something that most people develop, coincidentally, as a by-product of learning about the other thirteen Fundamentals which precede it.
So keep "the secret Fundamental" a secret from yourself until your reading gets you to it. I'm sure you'll be a lot "happier" if you do...
Read more
One of the most obvious things that emerged from the happiness research data over the years is how active happy people tend to be and how much they have going on in their lives.
Fundamental One, therefore, is based on this research finding. Happy people are extremely active people. They are remarkably busy, they're always doing something, they're always on the go. Happy people seem to pack a lot more into their day, than do most average people. Unhappy individuals, in contrast, waste a large amount of their time and never seem to get around to doing much. Their lives are relatively inactive, habitual, and boring.
In this chapter we will find that happy people not only outstrip most of us in terms of the sheer quantity of activity, but also in its quality -- and discover a certain "essence" to their active lifestyle" that eludes most other people. In addition, our discussion of Fundamental #1 will reveal the five, specific types of activities happy people spend most of their time in.
Read more
Fundamental 2: Spend More Time Socializing
The second Fundamental, "Spend More Time Socializing," is based on the strong, social theme that has been clearly drawn throughout the research we covered in Volume I of this diad. More than anything else, an active and rewarding social life appears to have a major impact on personal happiness. As we've seen previously: more than success, more than income, more than a lot of "good times" -- indeed, more than any other factor -- warm, social ties contribute the most to happiness.
This chapter, therefore, will concentrate on the specific social factors which contribute so much to happiness.
Read more
Fundamental Three: Be Productive At Meaningful Work
Fundamental Three emphasizes that happiness can be enhanced if one can "Be Productive At Meaningful Work."
When we examine this Fundamental, we'll see that there are two key elements to it: "productivity" and "meaning."
"Productivity" acknowledges a life of continued growth and expansion, not only in themes of long-term achievements, but in the everyday steps which lead to them. It also acknowledges that long periods of non-productivity can easily cause one to fall into depression. "Meaning," on the other hand, suggests the importance of finding purpose and significance in one's life through one's job or avocations.
As we shall discover when we examine this Fundamental: those who find a productive and meaningful way to live, will find one of the richest and most abiding sources of personal happiness in their life, as well.
Read more
Fundamental Four: Get Better Organized & Plan Things Out
Fundamental Four is to "Get Better Organized" It is based on the research on happy individuals which finds that they are well-organized, non-procrastinating, and efficient. Such organization displays itself not only in their daily approach to life, but also in their long-terms plans and sense of direction in life. Happy people seem to know where they want to go in life, and they appear to have the personal organizational skills to help them get there.
Unhappy people tend to lack long-term direction in life. They're goals and plans are poorly formed. They tend to flounder as they go through life, working more on impulse than planning. And especially on a day-to-day basis, they tend to be chronic procrastinators.
In our treatment of Fundamental Four we deal with some basic approaches you can use to "Get Better Organized" in your life.
Read more
Fundamental Five: Stop Worrying
Fundamental Five deals with what we refer to as "the arch-enemy" of personal happiness: common, everyday worry.
Worry is probably the most detrimental thing the average person does to ruin their happiness. When we explore Fundamental #5, we examine your worry-patterns in detail. You'll probably discover that you worry a lot more than you ever imagined, and you'll come to appreciate who destructive it is to your own happiness. From there, we can help you learn how to control your worry and become more like happier individuals who naturally appear to have low worry-levels.
Read more
Fundamental Six: Lower Your Expectations & Aspirations
Fundamental Six is called "the controversial Fundamental" because wherever I lecture on the Fundamentals, "Lower Your Expectations and Aspirations" always seems to spark the most heated debates. It is understandable, however, since Fundamental Six flies right in the face of common wisdom regarding happiness. We live in a highly competitive culture which generally stresses high goals, lofty ambitions, and great success as being essential for happiness. Thus most people are taken aback to learn that the research seems to show quite the opposite. Instead of being highly ambitious and achievement-motivated, happy people appear to be more modest in their goals and in their need for great success.
Read more
Fundamental Seven: Develop Optimistic, Positive Thinking
We have nick-named Fundamental Seven "The Royal Road to Personal Happiness" because, of all the traits we've discovered in happy people, optimism appears to be one of the most significant and potent to all.
According to the research, happy individuals are immensely optimistic and tend to display highly positive thought-patterns (while unhappy people tend to be rather pessimistic and think in negative, critical terms). Happy people tend to view most situations in their life in a positive light. They look for the bright side, seeing "the cup as half-full rather than half-empty."
Optimistic, positive thinking has such an important impact on personal happiness that we'll spend an extended analysis of it in This chapter. We shall explore, in great detail, how thinking-patterns, like optimism, can affect happiness -- and how you might develop a more positive thinking yourself.
Read more
Fundamental Eight: Get Present-Oriented
The next fundamental is "Get Present Oriented."
"Present-orientation" is a technical terms used by clinical psychologists. Essentially it refers to the ability to live life fully in the present -- in the "here and now," so to speak, rather than in the "there and then." Happiness research finds that happy people tend to be quite present-oriented. They tend to get the most out of each and every day. They tend to focused more on the immediate present. They are not particularly preoccupied with past hurts or regrets, nor unduly worried or apprehensive about the future. Apparently, "these are the good old days" for happy individuals, and most anyone can be a bit happier if they can focus more on the present.
Read more
Fundamental Nine: Work On A Healthy Personality
Fundamental Nine is known as "WOAHP" -- initials which stand for "Work On A Healthy Personality."
One of the major factors happiness researchers have consistently found in the data is the strong relationship between happiness and mental health. As we saw in the previous Volume, happy individuals are extremely healthy people. In virtually every assessment technique psychologists have used, happy people tend to excel.
Because a healthy personality contributes so much to personal happiness, "Work on A Healthy Personality" is one of the most productive Fundamentals a person can work on. Yet, the development of a healthy personality involves a complex interplay of many psychological factors, which originate in childhood and take a lifetime to solidify. Thus our treatment of this happiness-trait will can be cursory, at best. Traditionally, therefore, what we have chosen to do in dealing with this complex topic, has been to summarize the collected research on health psychology by presenting five of the most basic and easily understood principles. We've named these principles of mental health the "WOAHP Five”
Read more
Fundamental Ten: Develop an Outgoing, Social Personality
Fundamental Ten brings us back to the strong social theme that permeates the research on happiness. It suggests that you would be a lot happier if you could "Develop an Outgoing, Social Personality."
We've seen how socially active and successful happy people are, indeed the Second Fundamental says "Spend More Time Socializing." But how can one take advantage of this primary source of happiness if one is shy, inward, or socially uncomfortable? The answer may be found in our upcoming analysis of this Fundamental.
According to the research, happy individuals are remarkably extroverted, outgoing, friendly, and at ease, socially. Because of this, they find their lives filled with many more social opportunities than shyer people do, and thus their life is happier as a result.
Read more
Fundamental Eleven: Be Yourself
In my years of teaching as a college professor, the one Fundamental which seems to hold the greatest insight for my young students is Fundamental Eleven: "Be Yourself." It is based on the research on happy people which finds them to be remarkably candid, spontaneous, expressive, and unaffected; and it is founded on the simple proposition that happiness flows easily and effortlessly when you just let yourself "Be Yourself."
As we shall see in our discussion of this Fundamental, a major source of unhappiness comes when we suppress our "real," authentic self. Perhaps it is a misguided attempt to be accepted or "fit in," perhaps it is the desire to live-up to others' expectations -- but whatever the reason, the fear of being ourselves creates more unhappiness than it's worth.
Read more
Fundamental Twelve: Eliminate the Negative
Fundamental Twelve is "Eliminate Negative Feelings and Problems" or "Eliminate the Negative," for short. It is also known as "the depressing Fundamental," because the topic is not especially pleasant.
Most of the Fourteen Fundamentals deal with positive characteristics the research has found in happy people. But happiness is founded not only in the presence of numerous positive circumstances, but in the absence of many negative ones. In other words, not only do happy people have a host of good things going on in their lives, they also appear to have much less of the bad things. Typically, happy people have far fewer personal problems, fears, hostilities, neurotic symptoms, anxieties, past traumas, dysfunctional backgrounds, or similar difficulties, than most average people do. Because of this, Fundamental Twelve is devoted to recognition of how such negative circumstances thwart many individual's attempts to work toward happiness. Clearly, for many people, happiness is not simply a matter of doing positive things. Often there are deeper personal difficulties which block their journey.
Our presentation of Fundamental Twelve deals with this "dark side" of happiness.
Read more
Fundamental Thirteen: Close Relationships Are # 1
More than any other factor, research on happiness shows that close relationships (friends, family, etc.) are the most impactful source of personal happiness of all. This is especially true of the closest kind of relationship we find in life: romantic, couple relationships.
Fundamental Thirteen, therefore, will examine this, "the #1 source of happiness," in detail -- particularly, love relationships. In our discussion, we'll learn what marriage counselors believe are the most important ingredients of successful relationships, we'll analyze typical relationship patterns, we'll climb the mythical "Mountain of Love," and we'll pinpoint the obvious "danger signs" of troublesome relationships. It is a discussion which should prove insightful not only for those of you who are already in a love-relationship, but just as well for those of you who may be hoping for one.
Read more
Fundamental Fourteen: VALHAP
Finally, there is Fundamental Fourteen. It goes by the acronym "VALHAP," but we have always called it "The Secret Fundamental."
Traditionally, in every forum where I have presented the Fourteen Fundamentals, I have kept VALHAP a secret from my audiences until the very end of my presentations. I do this for two reasons...
First, VALHAP provides an elegant conclusion to all the other Fundamentals, thus it is nicer to save it until the last and have it linger as a bit of a mystery. Certainly, you have to admit it will be more fun, as a reader, to "save the best 'til last."
Second, and more importantly, if you postpone reading about VALHAP until you've read your way up to it, you'll provide yourself with a remarkably pleasant surprise. You'll find that VALHAP has already happened to you!
You see, Fundamental Fourteen involves one of the most important happiness-traits we've discovered in the research. It's effect is profound, yet it is something that most people develop, coincidentally, as a by-product of learning about the other thirteen Fundamentals which precede it.
So keep "the secret Fundamental" a secret from yourself until your reading gets you to it. I'm sure you'll be a lot "happier" if you do...
Read more
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