In this episode John is sharing a live training from his secret Facebook community. It's all about problems - why we have so many of them and why they never seem to go away. Do you ever feel that you have too many problems in your life? Have you ever wished you could get rid of your problems so that your life was easier? Do you think that solving your problems is going to make you happy? Then listen to find out: How you can be happy in spite of your problems How you can actually learn to enjoy having problems How you can use problems to grow and become your best self "When you get really good at solving problems they no longer feel like problems." --- To download the free worksheet or join our secret Facebook community, go to www.happinesshacks.net. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. Thanks for listening!

In this episode John is talking about self acceptance. Are there parts of yourself you can't stand? Do you have a picture in your head of the person you would most like to be? Do you feel that you have to fix yourself before you can like yourself? Listen to find out: How our parents and teachers have filled our heads with nonsense Why having an idea of who you want to become is destroying your self esteem What it really takes to like yourself unconditionally "The reason we turn from happy little kids into miserable adults is that we've spent our entire childhoods being taught how to be unhappy." --- To download the free worksheet or join our secret Facebook community, go to www.happinesshacks.net. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. Thank you for listening!

In this episode John is talking about dopamine. Do you have an addictive personality? Do you enjoy engaging in risky behaviours? Would you self-identify as a hedonist or a pleasure seeker? Listen to find out: How your brain is actively stopping you from feeling good Why having expectations ruins your chances of being happy How to manipulate your brain to give you more of the pleasure you crave "If we don't pursue that dopamine hit mindfully and consciously, it can take us to some really dark places." --- To download the free worksheet or join our secret Facebook community, go to www.happinesshacks.net. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. Thank you for listening!

In this episode John is talking about a phenomenon known as ‘Excessive Responsibility Taking.’ Are you taking too much responsibility for life? Do you try to do everything by yourself? Are you overworked and overwhelmed? Do you feel that everything is up to you? Listen to find out: Why you have more support than you can possible imagine How the most important things are already taken care of How to get more done by doing less "We are being supported constantly, but it's almost completely invisible to us unless we take the time to sit down and think about it." --- To download the free worksheet or join our secret Facebook community, go to www.happinesshacks.net. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. Thank you for listening!

In this episode John talks about an invisible pattern of dysfunction that ruins families. Do you ever feel like the whole world is against you? Do you get easily frustrated with other people? Do you find yourself running around trying to solve everybody else’s problems? Listen to find out: Why 96% of families are dysfunctional Why it's never appropriate to play the victim How needing to be right makes you the bad guy Why nice people need to learn to mind their own business "In order to survive in a dysfunctional family we have to adapt, and those adaptations have consequences." --- To download the free worksheet or join our secret Facebook community, go to www.happinesshacks.net. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. Thank you for listening!

In this episode John clears the confusion around the topic of self care. Do you struggle to focus attention on yourself? Does life get in the way and stop you from doing the things you enjoy doing? Does self care feel shameful and self indulgent? Listen to find out: Why self care isn't what you think it is The important difference between what you want and what you need Why real self care takes courage and discipline How to avoid turning into a selfish a**hole  "What you want isn't necessarily what you need. And what you need isn't necessarily what you want." --- To download the free worksheet or join our secret Facebook community, go to www.happinesshacks.net. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. Thank you for listening!      

In this episode John shows you the easiest and quickest way to calm a busy, anxious mind. Do you think too much? Are those thoughts negative and unpleasant? Do you spent much of your time at war with your own mind? Does that internal conflict take you away from living a happy life? Listen to find out: How your mind is a lot like a snow globe Why traditional CBT techniques don't work How to calm your mind with zero effort A simple technique to instantly increase your happiness "A busy mind is away from mental health. A quiet mind is towards mental health." --- Join our Facebook group to discuss this episode with other happiness hackers: > Click Here Click Here

In this episode John shares some happiness secrets he discovered on a recently family vacation. Why do we feel so much better on holiday? Is it the sun? It is the time off work? Is it the break from our problems and responsibilities? Actually, John believes it’s none of these things and the real reason is going to surprise you. Listen to find out: Why the way we feel has nothing to do with where we are How to get that holiday feeling every day Why we need to be intentional about how we want to feel "We set a goal of doing something because we think it'll make us feel better. But somewhere along the way we forget what we're doing it for." --- Click here to join our Facebook group to discuss this episode with other happiness hackers Click here to download free worksheets and resources to help you to be happier Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. Thank you for listening!

In this episode John talks about aggression and passivity, and how the positions that we take in our relationships can stop us from from having fulfilling and meaningful connections with the people we love. Listen to find out: Why being assertive is not about getting your own way How your desire to please people encourages them to treat you badly How you are inadvertently blocking the intimacy in your relationships Why it's important that you win   “When we take the one-down position we volunteer to be less important in the relationship.” “You cannot have intimacy in a relationship if you’re not on the same level.” --- Join our Facebook group to discuss this episode with other happiness hackers: > Click Here

Why do we feel the need to label ourselves? And what is it about holding tightly to these labels that makes it difficult to be happy? In this episode John talks about the ways that humans apply labels to things to help us to make sense of the world, and how these labels constrain us and limit our true potential. Listen to find out: Why labels are more dangerous than you might realise How a medical diagnosis from you doctor can make your problems worse Why our stories about ourselves can become self-fulfilling prophecies Why you're not as broken as you might think you are How we can free ourselves from our self-limiting beliefs to become healthier and happier “If you believe that you can’t cope with life (because you are an anxious person), then that will fill you with fear... and that makes you more anxious!” --- Join our Facebook group to discuss this episode with other happiness hackers: > Click Here Click Here

Why does looking forward to things in the future make us miserable in the present? In this episode John talks about something we all do most of the time that has a disastrous impact on our happiness. And it’s so subtle that you might not even realise you’re doing it. Listen to find out: Why focusing on the future will stop you from being happy today How placing conditions on our happiness makes it harder to be happy Why getting what you want will not make you happy A simple technique to be happy in your life right now "Everything you have today is something you wanted in the past because you thought it would make you happy." --- Join our Facebook group to discuss this episode with other happiness hackers: www.facebook.com/groups/happinesshackspodcast Click here to download the free worksheet that accompanies this episode: www.happinesshacks.net Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. Thank you for listening!

What are human emotional needs? Why do we have them and what makes them so important? In this episode John talks about an essential aspect of human happiness that most of us are totally unaware of. Listen to find out: Why having emotional needs is essential for your survival How unmet needs play havoc with your emotions Who is ultimately responsible for your needs Why trying to get other people to meet our needs doesn't work "When we take care of our own emotional needs, we are able to be with our partner, not because we need them, but because we want them. And isn't that so much more romantic!" --- Here's a link to the book that John mentions in this episode: UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healing-Child-Within-Discovery-Dysfunctional-ebook/dp/B004FN1S7W US: https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Child-Within-Discovery-Dysfunctional-ebook/dp/B004FN1S7W Join our Facebook group to discuss this episode with other happiness hackers: www.facebook.com/groups/happinesshackspodcast Click here to download the free worksheet that accompanies this episode: www.happinesshacks.net Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. Thank you for listening!

Why is it so hard to achieve the goals we set for ourselves? Why do most of our resolutions fail? And how can psychotherapy help us to improve our chances of success? In this episode John talks about the role of values in helping us to live a happy life. Most of us are pursuing our goals unaware that they may be taking us in the wrong direction. Listen to find out: Why values are better than goals Why your goals may not even be your goals Why knowing why you want something makes you more like to get it "If we want to make change happen, we have to want it more than we fear it." --- Join our Facebook group to discuss this episode with other happiness hackers: www.facebook.com/groups/happinesshackspodcast Click here to download the free worksheet that accompanies this episode: www.happinesshacks.net Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. Thank you for listening!

Why does it hurt so much when we don't get what we want? Is disappointment an inevitable consequence of being a human being? In this episode John talks about how an amazing capacity of the human mind, that no other animal has, can set us up for a war with reality. And in the process, create insane amounts of unnecessary suffering. Listen to find out: How wanting things to be different causes us pain Why our imagination is often the real source of our suffering How developing our capacity for acceptance gives us more peace of mind "Any reality gap that opens in your life is going to be a problem; it's going to cause you some pain and suffering. And closing the gap is the solution." --- Join our Facebook group to discuss this episode with other happiness hackers: www.facebook.com/groups/happinesshackspodcast Click here to download the free worksheet that accompanies this episode: www.happinesshacks.net Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. Thank you for listening!

Why do we only see what we want to see? How can two different people, having the exact same experience, have totally different reactions? In this episode John explores a subtle detail about how our brains work and how it can make a fundamental difference to your experience of being alive. Listen to find out: How we only experience a tiny fraction of what's really happening Why energy flows where attention goes How you can program your brain to make you instantly happier Why things are not nearly as bad as they seem "If we have an interest in being right about how terrible things are, our brain is going to show us a version of reality that proves us right." --- Join our Facebook group to discuss this episode with other happiness hackers: www.facebook.com/groups/happinesshackspodcast Click here to download the free worksheet that accompanies this episode: www.happinesshacks.net Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. Thank you for listening!