The happiness quotient (HQ) is a measure of a person’s level of happiness. It can be used to assess an individual’s overall well-being. It is not a hard science, but it determines where we are at, mentally, during stressful times.

The Harris Poll reported some significant trends that will have staying power in 2025.
https://theharrispoll.com/briefs/america-this-week-wave-253/

Here are two of those trends that should be addressed by all of us to increase our Happiness Quotient:
Feelings are more important than facts. “Last summer, while the market was roaring, we polled with the Guardian to ask Americans a pop quiz on the nation’s economy. Americans got it wrong, with (49%) believing the S&P was down (it was up); that we were in a recession (56%), and that inflation was rising (72%) (no to both). Surprisingly (76%) of Americans told us that economists may say things are getting better, but they’re not feeling it where they live. Economic dissociation was a canary in the election coal mine and proof that we are in a post-fact society where institutions and authority are less important than the voices of those we trust and with whom we have shared lived experiences. More and more trust will be built bottom-up than top-down.” And that can have negative impacts such as what we saw in the last election. If the facts are so way off the mark and incorrect that people project on others, society will have a breaking point.

The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of mental health. In 2024 Elmo from Sesame Street tweeted out: “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” and got trauma-dumped by the Internet. “The tweet, and the campaign it spawned, reached over 300 million people, with more than 3 million heartfelt reactions pouring in. As Elmo’s viral moment and this new study indicate, the most pressing issue facing American families right now is mental health and emotional well-being.” When asked what we should prioritize for the future well-being of our country in our Sesame Workshop Harris Poll  State of Well-Being Report, (77%) believe mental health, well-being, and happiness are nearly equal to economic stability (80%). This year, wellness will move from a squishy, feel-good concept to a monetizable national asset.

“Americans see kindness and resilience as pathways to improving well-being. Strong majorities of Americans say it’s important for society to promote kindness (85%) and resilience (83%).”

For further information, go to:
https://sesameworkshop.org/about-us/press-room/sesame-workshop-and-the-harris-poll-unveil-inaugural-index-on-the-state-of-americas-well-being/#

So what I have to say each day is about how to send out love and kindness to the universe. If there is such a thing as a collective consciousness, I want to put those grand positive thoughts out there! It’s not always about the politics as my friend seems to think (although we need to be logical and calm when we go up against misinformation that we overhear in conversation and sometimes I’m just…not calm…. But I won’t apologize for that right now.)

My process for peace and happiness is about being in a good frame of mind most of the time. It’s about being able to live in our little bubble of happiness that rises up each day. It’s about doing what we can to help our individual selves, our families, and others cope with what’s to come in our future personal lives and worldwide. It’s about loving and supporting each other, day to day, and ignoring the hate, and figuring out where we fit into the world. It’s about how to live our lives to the fullest.

So maybe I’m idealistic in my thoughts that all people should be treated equally and not have to put up with hate and misinformation. Maybe I just want to be that one more voice that gives off positive, helpful information regarding what we can do each day that we are here in this realm. And maybe other people should acknowledge that it’s okay for me to feel the way I feel right now. I can’t ignore every conversation that surrounds me. And, I really shouldn’t have to. We must all figure out how to get along and stop spewing nonsense. We have to learn to trust the process once again and even though trust is hard right now, equilibrium will happen in the future. We just have to get through the day. We have to live with our own thoughts and actions.

I love you all and hope you can learn to be kind to each other every day.