Live Happy Magazine Kicks Off 2014, the "Year of Happiness," with Issue Dedicated to "Hope"

DALLAS, Dec. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Live Happy magazine, the recently-launched publication dedicated to promoting and sharing authentic happiness, debuts its February 2014 issue on newsstands December 31^st, launching its "Year of Happiness" with an issue devoted to "Hope."

The magazine, the first ever to balance the science of positive psychology with the art of application, launched in October 2013 with the goal of inspiring readers through education, integrity, gratitude, and community awareness. During a time of year when many are struggling to find genuine satisfaction among the bustle of a season that practically requires happiness and cheer, "hope" seems to be the most appropriate expression of the expectations for the year ahead. With its first issue of 2014, Live Happy continues its mission to impact the world and motivate people to engage in living purpose-driven, healthy, meaningful lives.

"Connecting people who care about happiness is what Live Happy is all about," says Editor-in-Chief Karol DeWulf Nickell. "Our goal at the magazine is to feature men, women, and children who inspire us with stories of happiness, courage, hope and love so we can share their messages with our readers."

Live Happy sat down with Gretchen Rubin, author of several books, including the #1 New York Times and international bestseller, The Happiness Project—an account of the year she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, the current scientific studies, and the lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. She discusses her upcoming paperback release of HAPPIER AT HOME: Kiss More, Jump More, Abandon Self-Control, and My Other Experiments in Everyday Life, (Three Rivers Press; On Sale December 31, 2013) along with her journey from busy attorney to international best-selling author and happiness expert.

Rubin, who became world-renowned for her happiness research and personal experiences, recalls the moment she decided to embark on her journey towards happiness: "As I stared out the rain-spattered window of a city bus, I saw that the years were slipping by. 'What do I want from life, anyway?' I asked myself. 'Well...I want to be happy.' But I had never thought about what made me happy or how I might be happier." Where does Gretchen find herself now? "My experience of my day has changed enormously because I've done so much to add enthusiasm and fun and enjoyment to it, and get rid of anger and boredom and resentment."

Rubin finds herself in good company with Shane Lopez, a Gallup senior scientist, one of the world's leading researchers on the psychology of hope and author of Making Hope Happen.  In "The Hope Monger," Lopez discusses with Live Happy how to make dreams come true by harnessing hope, and explains why he's on a mission to rescue hope from the mega-selling New Age self-help book, The Secret. We can, Shane says, "wish ourselves into failure,"  fantasizing about a great future actually saps your energy to get things done today because your mind reacts as if the goal has already been achieved. Swap warm and fuzzy wishes for robust, action-driven hope and you reap a powerful payoff. Lopez shares why optimism and wishes aren't enough, offers positive steps for getting what we want out of life and explains why it all starts with school-age kids.

The February issue of Live Happy also includes other personal experiences and guidelines for hope and happiness in the upcoming year:

• In "Making Family Time a Priority," Tia Mowry-Hardrict, the former star of the television show Sister, Sister, and current star of Nick at Night's Instant Mom, shares with Live Happy how she balances work and being a mom while keeping her family's happiness her top priority.
• Psychotherapist, author, and relationship expert Stacy Kaiser explains how 20 years of experience and numerous clinical studies have shown that hope can be a powerful driver for both mental and physical health in "Hopeful People and their Super Powers."
• Live Happy explores the concept of "Going with the Flow." More than just an uplifting phrase, "flow," first defined by Hungarian-born researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, describes the mental state in which people become so intensely involved in a specific activity that nothing else appears to matter, and is demonstrated by two American Olympic skiers who found themselves at the top of their game after getting "lost" in the flow.

As Live Happy prepares for the International Day of Happiness on Thursday, March 20^th, 2014, the magazine urges all its readers to share their #actsofhappiness and discover how to join the movement.

About Live Happy
Live Happy LLC, owned by veteran entrepreneur Jeff Olson, is a company dedicated to promoting and sharing authentic happiness through education, integrity, gratitude, and community awareness. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, its mission is to impact the world by bringing the happiness movement to a personal level and inspiring people to engage in living purpose-driven, healthy, meaningful lives. For more information, please visit livehappymagazine.com.

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Video with caption: "Live Happy Magazine February 2014 Cover Shoot." Video available at: http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/FX-NY37159-20131220-1.mp4

SOURCE Live Happy