06 Aug How do you define…happiness?
What does happiness mean to you?
How do you define…happiness?
As simple as these questions might sound I get asked them time and time again and often, the answers are the cause of some debate.
And this is fine.
Because happiness means different things to different people. And happiness even means different things to the same people at different times of their life.
So what I'd like to do today is outline a few simple principles for thinking about happiness and encourage you to give some serious thought to what your specific type of happiness would look like…because if you can't define happiness, clearly and accurately, then you won't ever (I believe) find a way to enjoy it.
Now the first way you can think about happiness is as…a form of positive emotion.
That is, happiness is just one of the many positive emotions we'd all like to experience as often as possible. It's not, however, the only positive emotion as we'd also all like to experience others such as joy and contententment and pride and satisfaction and calm and, well, and so many more….
So the first step of this definition process is to list all the positive emotions you've ever enjoyed and all the ones you'd like to enjoy.
Secondly, happiness is also a way of thinking about living a good life.
That is, happiness is an overarching term that can be used to describe the positive emotions we'd like to experience while living a good life (see above) but one that also encompasses a life in which we're…
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fully engaged with what we do and totally aware of our strengths and how we can use them
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connected with others, feel part of a community, and have several, if not many positive relationships
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clear about our meaning and purpose
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achieving and accomplishing meaningful goals
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physically well and healthy
So putting all of the pieces of this puzzle leads to us understanding what a happy and fulfilling life is.
What do you think? What does happiness look and feel like to you? Share your thoughts and comments, or pose your questions HERE on The Happiness Institute's Facebook Page : )