Happiness Increases Longevity...Where Do We Find This Gift of Life?

According to U.S. research, you can add seven and a half years to your life just by being happy!

Backing this claim up is Laurie Hayes, Life Strategy Coach from Ontario, Canada who also states that genuine happiness is the key ingredient being sought after by most people who come to her.

Ms. Hayes has been working with people who have recognized this missing element in their lives and want to take corrective action towards a more meaningful, balanced existence.

"The pursuit of authentic happiness is an ongoing quest for many," says Laurie. "Some people believe that by earning more money, working longer hours, and taking on more and more responsibility, they will somehow reap big benefits that will in the end guarantee happiness. Unfortunately that just isn't the case, and research has now proven that the more comfortable life becomes, the more discontented and unfulfilled we become."

Incredibly, professional men and women polled in a recent U.S. study were rated to be unhappiest of all. Most attributed work pressures, the need to achieve, family responsibilities, social pressures, busy lifestyles and the absence of personal and reflective time to feelings of discontentment, detachment, anxiety and even depression.

Ms. Hayes says people often wait so long to do anything about these feelings that by the time they come to her they are out of sync, overwhelmed, feeling heavy and isolated, and that it's only through supportive, strategic life coaching they are able to learn how to live, laugh, play, and dream again.

Coaching used to be reserved for top-level executives, movie stars and large corporations, but is now being sought after by average, everyday people seeking positive life change. Already mainstream in the U.S., it is still relatively new in Canada. Coaching identifies core values, personal strengths and obstacles blocking people's happiness and provides the forum for planning and carrying out a plan to create desired results. Unlike therapy, it focuses on co-creating a desired future based upon the person's natural abilities and skills.

Laurie explains she got involved in helping people find their happiness because she lost herself many years ago.

"I know personally what it's like to become so wrapped up in one thing that everything and everyone else in life seems to disappear. I experienced it years ago while building my first business. I was so caught up in success and achievement that everything else took second place, and I lost everything that really mattered to me - my home, my partner, etc. Back then there wasn't such a thing as a life coach. I took a break, got my act together and reconstructed a more authentic and happy life. I learned a valuable lesson and now I want to do my bit to help others realize that they too can find happiness by not denying themselves. A lot of people don't have anyone to support and listen to them, and that's where I come in."

Thankfully, real happiness is attainable and doesn't have to come at the expense of something else. As a matter of fact, the source might be so close to us that we can't even see it! The secret of extended life might be right under our noses, only waiting to be discovered!

Laurie Hayes is one of Canada's leading Life Strategy Coaches. For private life coaching sessions, she can be contacted at (705) 560-0788 or by visiting http://www.wheretheheartis-lifecoaching.com

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USA TODAY

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Globe and Mail

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Study: U.S. does well in wealth, not so much in happiness Detroit Free Press Gabriel Bouys, AFP/Getty Images By Melanie Eversley A study being released today shows the United States may be on top when it comes to acquiring wealth, but it doesn't measure up as well when it comes to happiness and life span, MSNBC is reporting. and more »

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