How To Be Happy: Turia Pitt’s one-word happiness trick

Her life was irreversibly changed in 2011 when she suffered burns to 65 per cent of her body. But Turia Pitt has a simple happiness trick.

Turia Pitt has revealed her secrets to happiness. Picture: Instagram.

In 2011 Turia Pitt’s life changed forever when she was caught in a bushfire while competing in an ultra-marathon.

The mining engineer suffered burns to 65 per cent of her body and wasn’t expected to survive her injuries.

But despite the odds Turia recovered and has since flourished becoming a best-selling author, motivational speaker and mum of two.

In news.com.au’s new podcastHow To Be Happy, Turia tells host, journalist and former news.com.au editor-in-chief Kate de Brito, about the surprising reason why she is happier now than she was before the burns incident.

RELATED: Turia Pitt reveals ‘panic’ during bushfires

Turia Pitt’s life changed forever when she was caught in a bushfire in 2011. Picture: Instagram.

“I think the Turia from 10 years ago, it’s not like I was unhappy because I was a happy person, but I was very much focused on what I didn’t have in my life,” she said.

“I was focused on what wasn’t going good for me.”

Turia said being caught in the fire taught her “to be grateful for my life as it is now”, which she admits can sound counterintuitive at first if you’re ambitious.

“Whenever we’re focusing on what we’re grateful for in our lives we’re focusing on the positives and I think that helps us to build a more positive mindset,” she said.

In her new book, Happy (and other ridiculous aspirations), Turia explains her GSA method to being happier: gratitude, savouring and anticipation.

“Savouring is about I guess being mindful in the moment that you’re in and trying not to get caught up in massive to-do lists and the laundry and all the work you’ve got to do … just enjoy the present moment and savouring in it and relishing in it,” she said.

RELATED: Turia welcomes second child

Turia with her now husband Michael before the bushfire incident.

But what about when the present is not-so-good? Well, Turia believes the bad shouldn’t be skipped over.

It’s much more gratifying to instead drop the “bulls**t facade that everything is OK” and acknowledge what is happening, she said.

“If the moment isn’t pleasant I would probably recommend that you don’t try and savour and relish and extenuate that moment,” she said.

“But I also think if you’re having a bad day, whether that’s a flat tyre or going through this coronavirus pandemic that a lot of us are facing right now, if you’re having a bad day there’s a real power in just accepting it and acknowledging it and saying it’s actually a really crap day.”

Today Turia is a mother to two boys, Rahiti and Hakavai, and is also a best-selling author and motivational coach. Picture: Instagram.

Turia’s other happiness tips include:

It’s not always going to be lattes and laughter at work: Remember that not all aspects of your job, especially when you’re working towards a bigger goal, are going to be great all the time.

“I’m sure even Beyonce has to eat some kind of s**t sandwiches that she doesn’t necessarily froth on, I think we all do,” Turia said.

“It’s just about how many s**t sandwiches are you willing to eat to get to where you want to be.”

Your tribe will impact your vibe: “I think if you’re spending time with people that make you feel like s**t and like crap then they’re probably not the best people to be spending time with,” Turia said.

“And I think conversely if you spend time with people who make you feel good about being the person that you are and that accept you for who you are, I think you’re going to feel a lot better about yourself.”

Kate de Brito, host of news.com.au’s new podcast How To Be Happy. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Listen to the full interview with Turia Pitt on the first episode of the How To Be Happy podcast, available to stream now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify