Dr Mark Williamson

Wow! 🤯 My book Make Life Happier will be #1 in the official Sunday Times bestseller list this week. I’m so grateful for the incredible support from the AFH community - none of this would have been possible without you 🙏❤️ Thank you so much for believing markwilliamson.net/make-life-ha...

❌ Things outside of your control: the past, other people’s behaviour, the overall outcome  ✅ Things within your control: today’s choices, how you treat others, your contribution to the outcome

Your words have power. Use them to encourage and inspire

Remember to tell the people you love how much you love them while you can

Focus on inner motivation not external validation. Let go of comparing yourself to what other people are doing

Busy isn't the same as effective. Instead of always rushing to the next thing, create space to pause and reflect. Then you can move forward calmly and with purpose

Decide what’s most important today and then make that your most important thing today

Try to enjoy the good moments and respond to the bad ones in good ways

Give it a try and see what happens. Action changes how you think more than thinking changes how you act

Our emotions and beliefs are contagious. By choosing to share hope and optimism, rather than despair or anger, you have a positive ripple effect

Unplug to recharge. Give yourself the gift of less screen time and more outdoors time today

When you open up and ask for support, people are usually happy to help and see it as a sign of strength rather than weakness

Rather than holding a silent complaint or grudge in your head, it’s usually better to share it and try to find a helpful solution

Avoid the trap of feeling a relentless need to achieve. You are not falling behind! Life is here and now - and whatever you can do today is enough

It’s okay to wish things had turned out differently and still be grateful for where you are

Stay hopeful. Challenges have the potential to help us learn, grow and build resilience. Things can and do change

If it matters, take the first step as soon as possible. You don’t need to wait for the perfect time to start

In life’s chaos, don’t forget to look around and appreciate the things that are going right

To get your day going, get your body moving. Being active boosts our mood and mental wellbeing too

When we remember that life is finite, each day becomes more precious and even mundane moments are worth appreciating

Things often go wrong. When they do, instead of “arghh, why me!?” try asking “what can I learn from this or do differently next time?”

Are you kinder to everyone else than you are to yourself? Join us for a special event with behaviour change specialist Shahroo Izadi to learn practical tools for a kinder relationship with yourself actionforhappiness.org/how-be-kind-...

If you want to build a new helpful habit, link it to something you already do regularly. ‘Habit-bundling’ turns good intentions into repeatable actions

It’s helpful to stay hopeful and focus on what we can do, rather than just giving up or pretending things are fine. Here’s my latest article, on how to be a “realistic optimist” makelifehappier.substack.com/p/how-to-be-...

Ways to build optimism: 🌈 Choose the helpful response 🎯 Focus on realistic solutions ☔️ Challenge negative assumptions 👥 Look for like-minded people 😇 Find inspiring role models 🙏 Practice daily generosity

When you’re clear about what really matters, you find more freedom to let go of the other stuff

Focus less on what you lack and more on what you have; less on what you can’t do and more on what you can

It’s good to treat people how you’d like to be treated. It’s even better to treat them how THEY like to be treated

For people to trust you when you say Yes, you need to trust yourself to say No when needed

It’s helpful to stay hopeful and focus on what we can do, rather than just giving up or pretending things are fine. Here’s my latest article, on how to be a “realistic optimist” makelifehappier.substack.com/p/how-to-be-...

It’s not about having the best stuff. It’s about making the best of what you have

Focus less on being interesting and more on being interested in other people

Direction over speed. It's better to climb slowly up the right mountain than fast up the wrong one

You don’t need to wait to feel confident before you start. Action builds confidence, so take the next step

We often over-estimate our future capacity. Make things calmer by committing to slightly fewer things

Prioritise time with loved ones and friends. Our social health is just as important as our physical health

Being willing to say No helps you say Yes to what matters

You can’t change what happened, but you can change how you respond

Take the next small step. A little bit of something is better than a lot of nothing

Stay hopeful. The challenges you’re facing now have the potential to help you learn, grow and build resilience. Things can and do change

Being willing to change your mind shows wisdom and strength, not weakness

When someone says something critical, they are usually expressing a wish or need. Rather than taking it personally or getting defensive, try to see what’s behind it. It may not be about you

The ordinary moments vastly outnumber the extraordinary ones. The more you can appreciate them the more enjoyable everyday life becomes

Feeling anxious? The good news is there are practical things we can do that really help. I very much enjoyed - and learnt a lot from - my conversation with Dr Sian Williams. Please help spread the word youtu.be/kxBeG9e8RrI

“Practice makes better” (There is no perfect)

People usually don’t want you to fix their problems, they want to feel heard

On 30 November, join us online as @andrewcopson.bsky.social talks with Dr Mark Williamson, co-founder of @actionhappiness.bsky.social, about building a society where wellbeing comes first. Book your place now. humanists.uk/events/in-co...

Today, ask yourself: What could I do to make this more enjoyable?

Mental strength is less about battling through and more about letting go

Habits are the foundation for wellbeing. To make big life changes, start with small daily habits

Spread kindness freely. It ripples out and returns in unexpected ways