Happiness Lessons from a Blue Shark Ring

I made myself a Blue Shark Ring, I love the way it looks, and mine is coated in rhodium so I don’t need to polish it.  It’s one of my favourites, so I wear it often, It’s really nice when every now and then, someone notices and comments on it. Makes me happy. But then there’s my friend. She loves this ring. We dive together, (she’s a dive professional). We try to dive every week. Every now and then I loan her jewelry to wear, especially if she’s going to a dive conference. And of all the pieces, She Really Loves This Ring.

When she wears it I know because I get messages all day telling me all the people who’ve commented, stopped her, or asked about it. It’s astonishing. She started to carry my business cards (a very good friend indeed!) so she doesn’t have to write the website down.

It may be that she’s more eye-catching, more gregarious, or interacts with people more than I do (likely all three!) And yes, she interacts with more ocean-lovers than I do when she’s wearing it, but the comments aren’t necessarily from divers. The most recent text included J Crew staff members, a waiter at lunch, and 3 friends at a party!

So I mused, why the difference? We’re similar size and temperament. She has a beautiful young daughter, but aside from that we’re not all that dissimilar. What’s the difference?

Wearing what you like makes you happy. You look good, life goes on.
Loving what you wear makes you infectious. You smile more, you feel happy, you look confident.

I really like wearing my jewelry, I wouldn’t make it if I didn’t really really like a design. But to a certain extent, its my job. My friend is not someone who shops all that much, and like many mothers, its rare she indulges herself as she might her daughter. Her life is less about things and more about experiences – especially with her daughter. The things she invests her energy into are few and carefully selected. But She Really Loves This Ring. And it shows. People come up to her to ask about it – she doesn’t walk around petitioning for conversations, she’s a busy working mom. And yet all day, she finds people notice and are attracted to her.

Please don’t misunderstand. My point is not about wearing a ring. Its that people are attracted to happy, infectious people. We like to be near those who aren’t going to be ’emotional vampires’, people who actually give you more than they take. You leave feeling lighter, more optimistic, energised. We all know those people, and they are just lovely to be around.

From previous posts, we’ve mentioned the idea of investing in a few things that make us smile when we wear them, and having them for a very long time. But of course its not necessarily about clothes or jewelry or even things. For some it may be a dog. Or a trip. (Or a dive.) Collecting experiences is a magical thing to do.

So find your thing, that thing that makes you *that* happy, “BSR Happy” (Blue-shark-ring-happy!) if you will. Many things make us smile, and feel happy. Far fewer things makes us BSR happy. Find it, do it, repeat. I don’t think you will regret it – and I’ll be curious to see if you have similar results!