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Rate Your Own Happiness

Wonder just how happy or unhappy you are? Print out the following quiz, reprinted from Happy for No Reason by Marci Shimoff (Free Press, 2008, happyfornoreason.com), and then tally up your answers. Are you "happy for no reason"?

The Happy for No Reason Questionnaire

HappyforNoReason.com

Rate each statement on a scale of 1 to 5:

1 = Not at all true;

2 = Slightly true;

3 = Moderately true;

4 = Mostly true;

5 = Absolutely true

1. I often feel happy and satisfied for no particular reason.

1 2 3 4 5

2. I live in the moment.

1 2 3 4 5

3. I feel alive, vital and energetic.

1 2 3 4 5

4. I experience a deep sense of inner peace and well-being.

1 2 3 4 5

5. Life is a great adventure for me.

1 2 3 4 5

6. I don't let bad situations keep me down.

1 2 3 4 5

7. I am enthusiastic about the things I do.

1 2 3 4 5

8. Most days I have an experience of laughter or joy.

1 2 3 4 5

9. I trust this is a friendly universe.

1 2 3 4 5

10. I look for the gift or the lesson in everything that happens.

1 2 3 4 5

11. I am able to let go and forgive.

1 2 3 4 5

12. I feel love for myself.

1 2 3 4 5

13. I look for the good in every person.

1 2 3 4 5

14. I change the things I can and accept the things I can't change.

1 2 3 4 5

15. I surround myself with people who support me.

1 2 3 4 5

16. I don't blame others or complain.

1 2 3 4 5

17. My negative thoughts don't overshadow me.

1 2 3 4 5

18. I feel a general sense of gratitude.

1 2 3 4 5

19. I feel connected to something bigger than myself.

1 2 3 4 5

20. I feel inspired by a sense of purpose in my life.

1 2 3 4 5

Scoring section:

If your score is 80 to 100: To a great degree, you are Happy for No Reason.

If your score is 60 to 79: You have a good measure of being Happy for No Reason.

If your score is 40 to 59: You have glimpses of being Happy for No Reason.

If your score is under 40: You have little experience of being Happy for No Reason.

Whatever your score, you can always move toward being more Happy for No Reason. It doesn't matter where you begin; what matters is that you do begin. Once you've finished reading the book and have begun practicing the seven steps and the Happiness Habits, take the questionnaire again. After that, assessing your Happy for No Reason score on a regular basis will help you chart your progress.