24 Responses to “Happy Hack: Airport Arrivals”

• Sean
  January 25th, 2008
  9:45 am
  
  

  Go sit on the grass and watch a random youth soccer/futbol game.

• Noah Kagan
  January 25th, 2008
  9:49 am
  
  

  Great call Sean. I watched a kids futbol game in a basketball court while it was raining. It was amazing. I guess taking the time to appreciate it is the hard part.

• Sean
  January 25th, 2008
  9:56 am
  
  

  There’s a really nice connection for me on the pitch…I played the sport myself from 5 yrs. to 25, hoping to go pro. The filed still is the only place I can remember completely losing myself (or silencing all the inner voices, ya know?).

  There’s probably a similar thing at the airport. A connection to those times you went certain places and people picked you up. Or when a certain someone arrived…..

  Anyway–nice post. I think I’ll go to the airport later today!

• Joel Mueller
  January 25th, 2008
  9:57 am
  
  

  Hit the weights. Drive car with top down. Beach it up and surf the waves. Stay busy. Or sometimes I just hire another employee. Biggest thing of all: get more focused on helping others. The greatest love is the lay down your life for another, right? So investing your life in other people spins back into light in your own life.

• Noah Kagan
  January 25th, 2008
  10:05 am
  
  

  I go running to get my mind clear of things.

  “Hire another employee” ha, ridiculous.

  I wonder about helping others if you are not helped yourself first. Same as in the airplane, put on your mask and then your child’s.

  It was proven that volunteering does make you happier in the long-term…

• Dan
  January 25th, 2008
  10:19 am
  
  

  Just a side note on the picture attached to the post. The guy getting hugged was probably a missionary for the Mormon church coming home from his 2 year mission (Salt Lake Airport, Young kid in suit, beaming dad) . So that makes the reunion even happier.

  Nice tip.

• ozgur alaz
  January 25th, 2008
  12:19 pm
  
  

  I am using one of your past suggestion, create an “happy” folder in inbox, then tag mails make you happy to this folder.

• kadavy
  January 25th, 2008
  2:17 pm
  
  

  http://cuteoverload.com/

• Josh
  January 25th, 2008
  2:57 pm
  
  

  Ever seen the movie Love Actually?

  Here’s the start of it:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEjLhoKYXSg&feature=related

  I hope this was simply a coincidence.

  Either way, it’s a great idea.

• Noah Kagan
  January 25th, 2008
  3:05 pm
  
  

  Not sure if the mormon thing was a joke or not but it was funny.

  Lovie actually was a great movie, I need to re-check out the trailer. Did anyone see Cloverfield yet?

  Kadavy, you just increased 5 minutes of happiness in my life. gracias.

  ozgur, i looked in my happy folder yesterday;)

• karen
  January 25th, 2008
  4:34 pm
  
  

  i buy flowers…something about having something alive and beautiful to look at that makes my day better.

  swinging, you know…like on a swingset. So fun and freeing!

  I should do this more often, but I love laying on the grass, watching the clouds, enjoying the breeze. Even if my thoughts are with me, there’s something so wonderful about doing this.

  I agree about volunteering–noah, how amazing would it be to find something to do while you in ar? it’ll be something you’ll never forget!

• Angela Shelton
  January 25th, 2008
  5:56 pm
  
  

  Dance! Anywhere. I dance in Trader Joes all the time and it always starts a dance party. People look at you like you are nuts but then.. they get the joy bug and jiggle it. Try it. The frozen food aisle is a good place.

• Ash
  January 25th, 2008
  6:53 pm
  
  

  Fun is anything spontaneous. Or watching a scary movie in a cramped van at 2AM with friends. Or, you know what, fun is cuddling puppies. And people-watching over coffee. I could go on and on about fun. :]

• Will
  January 25th, 2008
  7:20 pm
  
  

  Do something nice for a complete stranger, whether it is letting them get on the bus before you or holding the door for them, anything without any expectations of getting something in return. I guess that is called random acts of kindness.

  Another thing is playing with kids, for those moments you forget about all your worries and stress and just enjoy being a kid.

• Shivani
  January 25th, 2008
  8:31 pm
  
  

  if i’m stuck behind my computer, i like to look at old pictures that make me happy – aka, pics of me with good friends, pics of my last trip, or my last birthday party, etc.

• Patrick
  January 26th, 2008
  2:26 pm
  
  

  Just wanted to say that I redesigned by site.

• Noah Kagan
  January 26th, 2008
  4:44 pm
  
  

  Glad that all my friends that leave comments are so happy. Awesome ideas. Went to the cemetery today which was surprisingly great.

• Jason H.
  January 26th, 2008
  10:48 pm
  
  

  Call me old fashion, but I like to read inspirational books to make me feel better (i.e. any books by Mr. Jack Candfield)

  Watch “There’s something about Marry�, or any other Farrelly Brothers movies.

  I think another fun way is to crash a wedding, even though I’ve never done it…

• Noah Kagan
  January 27th, 2008
  9:15 am
  
  

  It’s funny cause I am reading all these personal development books and at some point they all sound the same. I think there are major things to learn from them and then applying is key.

  Posting Dalai Lama’s Art of Happiness this week, some good stuff in there.

• Jason H.
  January 27th, 2008
  6:54 pm
  
  

  “I think there are major things to learn from them and then applying is key. ”

  True that

• Sri
  February 1st, 2008
  9:23 pm
  
  

  I like to think of Shivani when im down

• Biff
  February 12th, 2008
  3:59 am
  
  

  Nice Noah, nice!
  I’ve seen this before and it always lifts your spirits. I’m often at train stations here in the UK, and you see it there sometimes as well. The best thing is when you’ve got a guy running after the train down the platform just to get one last wave in to his girlfriend.

  It’s times like those, when you see people lifted out of the default reserved state that we often find ourselves in (and what ultimately leads to dissatisfaction.)

  I agree with Will, doing something for a stranger. I made a little film about paying it forward. I got givena box of chocolates on the train by a stranger (I hope it made them happy) so I ate one and then walked around Kings Cross in London giving them to other people. It was a great feeling, and people really responded to it. I hope they payed it forward in their own way:

  http://youtube.com/watch?v=jcr6P_UKhRk

  I might make another film inspired by this post Noah…

  Cheers

  ~biff~

• Noah Kagan
  February 12th, 2008
  10:23 am
  
  

  Biff,

  Great thing but if they were an open box of chocolates I would be a little worried about poison or your real intentions. Kind of sad how the world is now…

• Biff
  February 12th, 2008
  10:40 am
  
  

  I thought that at first, but went with the ‘to hell with it’ approach.

  naturally some people refused, probably based on suspicions not unlike what you mentioned. however, i had some good conversations with people who didn’t take a chocolate, but were appreciative of the reason!

  ~biff~

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