Get Happy with Hygge

A New Year is here, a New Dawn is blooming, and it feels like I should be writing something profound and significant. But after so many inspiring words given during the powerful inaugural speeches, what I really want to ask you is this:

Are you making time to hygge your life?

I know, we certainly have BIG challenges ahead of us (still), and we have BIG things to do together if we’re going to answer the Call to Service that many are feeling right now. The world needs our love & collaboration more than ever.

I imagine you feel at least a glimmer of hope shining through as our new U.S. leaders speak of unity, love, and restoring the soul of a country broken.

So why am I asking about a Danish way-of-life that I can barely even pronounce when the world is such a mess? This is exactly why. The best way to deal with complexity is to peel back the layers and simplify the messiness.

Hygge (hoo-gah) is about simplicity, but also much more. At its core, hygge is about cultivating a sense of deep happiness by connecting with the essential and embracing a way of life that puts relationship at the center. And it must work because Denmark ranks as one of the ‘happiest’ countries in the world.

I didn’t have a name for it until this year when 3 friends sent me 3 different hygge messages within 3 days, but my brand of simplicity has always been infused with hygge: slow down, clear distractions, surround yourself with what brings joy, then generously show up to love the world back to wholeness.

It doesn’t seem that impossible to UNIFY a nation by wrapping our neighbors in cosiness and comfortable conviviality to engender feelings of contentment. Perhaps when we do, we’ll find a common heart-space to heal and reveal the innovative solutions that will save our world.

So, let’s welcome 2021 with a few hygge hugs and make our world happier by celebrating the simple, cherishing the essential, and connecting with each other about what truly matters.

How might some extra hygge make your life bloom even brighter this year?