22 Jan An interesting take on happiness…definitely worth contemplating
Happiness can be viewed or understood in so many different ways by so many different people; here’s an interesting take on happiness, from The Huffington Post. We thought you might like to read and think about it:
by Wendy Strgar
Most of us share a common misperception about happiness. We expect to identify it through our feeling state, rather than through the perceptual frame of reference that it is. Oddly you could be quite happy at a work task and not feel happy at the moment at all: satisfied with your effort and persistence, yet frustrated by the problem solving that most projects demand, may be happiness but doesn’t make you smile.
It is understandable that we mistake the daily work of thriving for happiness. Advertising consistently misrepresents happiness as bliss. We think real happiness is smiling and laughing together with other like-minded, attractive people in nice cars and clothing. In actuality, bliss, like acute anxiety or deep sadness, is a rare moment in the texture of our daily lives. Intense emotions, whether positive or negative, are the threads in the complex and mysterious fabric of life. They teach us how to find center and provide a guide by which to navigate.
In truth, our ability to be happy should be compared to our capacity for health and fitness. Regardless of where you start out, with clear aspirations and a decent work ethic, anyone can get more positive, just as they can become more physically well. Although attending to one’s physical well-being is highly correlated with a more positive mindset, developing the trait of positive thinking is a workout of its own.
Creating and working at a positive frame of reference requires the same work and commitment as body building…