Happy Traits: Australia and Colombia

Colombia has topped the rankings of the annual Gallup International poll for the World’s Happiest Country several times and, Australia has been the 12th happiest country in the world for the last couple of years.

In this article, I want to point out a few traits that we all can adopt to improve our overall happiness, no matter where we are or where we come from.

I grew up in Colombia but have been living in Australia for the past 6 years. I will use my life experience to point out traits I’ve observed in people, which might help us to improve our overall happiness by adopting and/or embracing positive attitudes from two happy countries.

In Colombia, my neighbours and strangers are usually welcoming, positive, and cheerful. You can walk the streets and expect to be greeted with genuine smiles and easy-going conversation wherever you go.

Your typical Colombian is energetic, enthusiastic about life, and a little boisterous at times but always warm and polite, deeply affectionate among friends and kind to strangers, loves to party and puts family first. In other words, Colombians are a pretty damn happy crew.

Unfortunately, we face poverty and with that, comes an ever-present threat of violence in the streets which has caused trauma to most Colombians who must always watch their backs. But despite this, and because of it, we are resilient and determined to seek out and cherish every precious moment of enjoyment, humour, and love. We focus on the good things in life, no matter how small they are.

In Australia, most people are laid-back and take the time to enjoy life. This is particularly true in the rural areas of the country and in surfing communities like in Sunshine Coast -where I currently live.

Even though the laid-back attitude remains a strong element of the country’s culture, many Australians these days are driven and hard-working with very busy lives, just like you would find in Colombia.

Australians love their beer. Having a beer or any kind of drink is the best way to unwind, relax, and let the conversation flow. Colombians love their alcohol too so, we have that in common.

A swim at the beach will cure even the worst of hangovers according to Australian beachgoers. Just a few minutes in the water will have you feeling good as new. I personally can agree with that one, seawater is rich in magnesium, therefore it releases stress, relaxes your muscles, and promotes deep sleep. Growing up in Bogota, I very rarely had a swim in the ocean. I probably went to the beach three times in 20 years because I had to catch an airplane or drive for more than 10 hours to get to the beach. Now, I go every day since I live in front of the beach here in Queensland.

Australians are renowned for taking it easy and doing it right instead of doing it fast. Don’t rush!

Colombians are extremely patriotic. We are very proud of our country’s natural beauty, its wonderful culture, and wonderful people. We have the best coffee and emeralds in the world, the best salsa dancers, and in my opinion, Colombian Spanish is the best Spanish spoken in the world.

Football, it’s a unifying force. Attend a football match in Colombia and the atmosphere is exhilarating and emotional, as parties erupt across the stadium and fans celebrate wildly. To be fair, Rugby in Australia has a similar effect on its people which is great to see and experience.

Australians have a strong sense of identity: Australians have long prided themselves on their “larrikin” spirit which approaches the world with a sense of playfulness. Therefore, their unique sense of humour is self-depreciating, sassy and can be a little dark. Sometimes it can take a little bit of getting used to, especially when an Australian makes a joke with a completely straight face, and you’re not sure if they’re joking or not!

On the other hand, Colombians use comedy to give a positive touch to pretty much everything. A joke is usually used as an ice breaker, it is how some friendships start. Humour initiates the conversation, then keeps it flowing and finally, ends up with a laugh and a new friend to have fun with, or even invite to the next party with your friends.

Before I finish, I need to emphasize that we love to party, and by partying, I mean dancing and singing all night long, alcohol is involved, and a variety of loud music is a must.

In conclusion, the happy traits we should embrace from both cultures are basically, being friendly, enjoying the little things in life, being kind, having a drink and relaxing, going for a swim, enjoying footy games, celebrating, smiling, have a sense of humor, and move your body.