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I’m so excited to share my conversation with Alli Worthington with you today. You might know her as the author of popular books like Fierce Faith or Breaking Busy or have seen her speak at events that fire you up and reaffirm your mission in life. Alli knows a lot about choosing a positive perspective. As a mom, wife, and businesswoman, she chooses to find happiness in the big and small things. Some of those things include superhero movies, the kids being back in school (finally!), and the goal of riding 50 rollercoasters at the new Star Wars Land at Disney (with good head support, of course.).
Alli wrote a book on the concept of happiness called: The Year of Living Happy: Contented and Connected in a Crazy World.
What she has discovered about true happiness will surprise you!
We’ve twisted our thinking that happiness is a selfish concept and only JOY is holy. This is not true!
Alli did her homework and studied the concept of happiness and found that it’s not just an idea that exists outside of being holy. You might be surprised to find that in original language of the Bible (Greek and Hebrew) there is no differentiation between joy and happiness. If we look at what the world says makes us happy (money, sex, power, possessions), this always falls flat. But it is through seeking the Lord and through His holiness where we find true happiness.
Happiness is not something that can come easy, but it does take discipline of gratitude and CHOOSING to ask God to bring the spirit of happiness every day. Holiness can be fun and it’s marked throughout Scripture through the life of Jesus. He was both fully God and fully man when He walked the earth. He laughed, he hung out with his best friends, and he enjoyed gathering with people. From Alli, we are reminded that all throughout scripture that all good things from God are also holy things. No matter what your preconceived notions of what happiness looks from the past, there is a way forward, and that comes from following Jesus and His transforming power in your life can reshape what happiness looks like.
Alli blows my mind by sharing that we are only happy as WE DECIDE TO BE! This can be acquired by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to come and adjust our attitude toward gratitude, we are sure to connect with holy happiness.
Alli and her family have faced their share of struggles: from poverty & homelessness to depression & chronic illness, she doesn’t pretend that life is easy or always happy. But when it comes to situations that can be controlled on a day-to day basis, Alli has a strong dose of reality for us. We cannot buy into the lie that we will be happy when _____ happens. Choosing happiness is a purposeful, present choice, in the middle of good and hard times.
When we chatted about our families, I asked Alli how she handles grumpy kids that don’t want to ‘play the game’ of happiness. She jokingly says this is her time to become an aggressive Mary Poppins and to persevere with the attitude of happiness. And sometimes it really is that literal and simple, to persevere and to hunt for happiness.
Alli gets fired up when it comes to our mindsets and our business hustle. If you’re an entrepreneur, you’ll want to catch what Alli has to share about choosing happiness in the pursuit of your professional life. Did you know that 80% of your success in business is built on your internal thoughts and attitude? That’s an astounding percentage that seems to good to be true but your attitude can carry you far (or hold you back). Ultimately, it’s up to you!
When we think about our identity, some of us don’t believe that happiness is connected to our calling. I love how Alli helps us shift that perspective. She reminds us as we are consistently taking thoughts off ourselves; it brings us true happiness and connects us with our current role in life. This looks like building the Kingdom of God as opposed to shrinking back and focusing on our mistakes or where we fall short.
I loved talking with Alli about what makes her happy! Are you as excited about the opening of Star Wars land at Disney as she is?
I was so thrilled to have her as a guest and I hope you’ll take advantage of the FREE happiness offer Alli has… scroll to check it out below!
Here’s where you scroll to the best goodies in this episode on Happiness:
[5:29] – Alli debunks Happiness as a Secular concept
[12:15] – A Spirit of Happiness in your Home: Actionable tips
[17:53] – How to be happy even when stressed
[19:58] – Happiness for the Entrepreneur (Fun Fact: In order to work, Alli built her business and juggled motherhood by using the McDonalds’ free Wi-Fi and change out of her car to buy ice cream cones for the kids.)
[23:34] – Is it okay to pursue happiness?
[24:45] – When “humility” ruins happiness
Pre-order The Year of Living Happy: Contented and Connected in a Crazy World.
FREEBIE: you can download the first 7 chapters of the book!
And when you preorder, you get the 30 Days of Happiness Journal! This guided journal provides great action steps to make a change toward happiness in your life. It’s a game changer in how you view your everyday life and how to move forward with personal and professional goals!
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QUOTABLE MOMENTS
[6:30] The only way to find lasting happiness is through seeking the Lord
[21:00] 20% of your success formula comes from mechanics, 80% of your success formula comes from internal thoughts and attitude
[21:24] Don’t let fear and anxiety overtake you, you will take yourself out of the game before you ever give yourself a chance to play
[23:00] Power of your thoughts will take you where you need to go
