The New Normal Big Life Blog
Our mission
Being happy is a choice. It may sometimes feel like happiness is absolutely outside of our control, but that’s not the case. And you can create a New Normal Big Life.
The purpose of the New Normal Big Life Blog is to guide you through the process of discovering what makes you happy, teaching you how to practice happiness activities, and creating a life strategy for sustained, real happiness.
Sound too much like wishful thinking?
Well, it’s all based on science!
As a professor of psychology — Sonja Lyubomirsky says …
“This much happiness—up to 40%—is within our power to change.”
Sonja lyumbomirsky
Our Latest Blog Posts
I’ve benefited greatly by processing what happened to me and developing strategies for managing PTSD, anxiety, and depression with a licensed mental health professional. And I encourage you to find a professional to help you on your journey.
— Antoinette Lee Toscano
Why some people find real happiness
Some people will stumble onto happiness.
Others will require a little help with finding it — although it is not lost.
An ability to “find” unconditional happiness — happiness that is not dependent on your circumstances is what is needed for a lifetime of joyful bliss.
Long-term happiness requires three things:
1. Knowing what makes you happy.
2. Practicing happiness activities.
3. Creating sustained happiness.
This 40% of your happiness that is within your control can be improved through intentional activities.
Lyubomirsky and others in the field of positive psychology say that 50% of your happiness — your happiness set point, is based on genetics, sort of like whether or not you will have trouble managing your weight or cholesterol. The other 10% is based on your circumstances — environment, opportunities, etc.
On the New Normal Big Life Blog, using science-based principles and activities, you will learn how to create your new normal around areas of health and fitness, relationships, and careers to live the biggest life you can envision.
What makes the New Normal Big Life Blog different from all other self-help blogs, books, and speeches is this — science and lived experience.