For the record, I am not by any standard a jolly or an optimistic person. I don’t go about life with rose-colored spectacles.I am,in fact, a realist bordering on pessimism. At best, I try to see a situation for what it really is- the good and the bad, the pros and cons.At worst, when it rains it pours and floods the whole village (at least in my mind it does). If it can get worse, it will! But my only saving grace is that I am aware of my persona. ” Know thyself,” said the old philosopher,” improve thyself” saith the new (Edward Lytton). So, there’s still hope for people like me.I still might get a touch of the fairy dust, think good thoughts and fly after all.
I am also not a psychologist, preacher, expert or life coach. I, just like everyone else, simply want to be happy… or happier!
”Am I happy?”
I bet you’ve asked that question yourself several times before. I did. My answer would often be, ” kind of “, ” relatively ” or even ” no, not really”. Then I’d feel down all of a sudden.
Apparently, we were asking ourselves the wrong question.
I was waiting for my friend at the bookstore when I saw this book entitled “Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment“ by Tal Benshahar. According to the cover, the subject of happiness is a popular study at Harvard. Imagine, people are studying how to become happy people! Well, I thought to myself, “this should be interesting!”
So I skimmed through the first few pages. Almost immediately I realized that I could relate to the author on a personal level. Mr. Ben-shahar described a certain feeling of emptiness after reaching a supposedly big achievement. He became a squash champion after years of hard work and training and yet, after the initial high of winning the title, he felt a certain kind of void.
It’s like when you think you know what your parents were going to give you for your birthday, you were building up the anticipation, counting the days to that special day then opening up the present and then thinking to yourself, ” What? Is this it? Is this what I was looking forward to for the past month and a half?”
I felt that kind of void. Some of the significant milestones in my life felt that way, particularly the academic ones. Let’s just say, I wasn’t as happy as I would thought I would be… Maybe I felt like I was in a rat race for freedom when all I got was a bigger cage? Do you get what I mean? I ‘ll get back with you on this later.
Meanwhile, back to the question. Ben, proposes an alternative question to the dead-end “Am I happy ?” query. He says, the better and helpful question is “How can I be HAPPIER?“
Thus, the title, “Happier”. So, we all would like to be happier in this life, yes? Yes! But, first, we have to know what it means to be trully, really and genuinely happy.
What is happiness?
Happiness means different things to different people. Some people would associate happiness to feeling good or having fun. Happy people, they say, see their glass as being half full rather than half empty. Even the expression of happiness differs culturally. In Japan,(according to an article I read somewhere) a smiley looks like this (^_^) instead of the usual 🙂 because the people believe that a genuine smile is expressed through the eyes rather than the lips. They are after all the windows to our soul or so they say. I half agree but I was thinking that they probably use that expression because they have eyes that swerve downwards on the side when they smile, right?! (^ ^)
HAPPINESS is the overall experience of pleasure and meaning. Being happy is like performing in a concert for a cause. You sing to make others listen.Dance to enliven others. Work to help your family.
Sages say that it is in our nature to be happy. The Dalai Lama says ” the very purpose of our life is happiness,the very motion of our life is towards happiness.” Come to think of it, why do we eat, sleep, play, work, etc? yeah, we do everything so we can live a long and HAPPY life!
How then can we be happier?
Let me share some simple ways we could increase our levels of happiness according to Mr. Ben-Shahar.
Be thankful
Sure, everybody “counts their blessings” but Ben suggests a more concrete way of doing this.
A study was made on people who wrote 5 things that they were grateful for. Everyday, they wrote them on a notebook before going to bed. Just five things. It doesn’t really matter whether it’s a big thing like getting a promotion or something ordinary like getting a bus ride home. What mattered was they were appreciative of those things. They found out that these people became happier.
When I started this post , I also started scribbling 5 things I was grateful for. Here’s my list:
When I started this post , I also started scribbling 5 things I was grateful for. Here’s my list:
(1) Had enough sleep last night — #moresleeptocome
(2) Was able to attend Oly’s lego birthday party with my family — #everythingisawesome
(3) Got yarns on sale and my family got me some skeins too— #yarnspamore
(4) Ate a good bowl of mami with my husband — #firstdatekuno
(5) had a nice time chatting with my family online — #tyvideocalling
(5) had a nice time chatting with my family online — #tyvideocalling
By the way, did I tell you that the saleslady from the bookstore got the ” Happier” book — she even removed the packaging for me! It was as if I bought the book. I actually just read it in the store. Shameful public reading!
It’s been quite a while since I started writing on a gratitude journal and it has helped me through some tough times. ( I think I’ve filled in 3 notebooks!) When I have time, I try to sort through events of the day to look for something I’m appreciative of. It’s as if I replay them in my head and get into the details of everything.
Playback now of one entry from a few years back! Well, I didn’t wait long for the jeep.Someone gave me a candy bar. Lunch treat in the office. Pizza Galore. Someone texted me an inspiring quote. Someone appreciated my work. Compliments on how I looked. Someone reminded me of my things to do. Someone erased the board for me or filled the whiteboard marker with ink. Interesting conversations with coworkers and students.
I think highlighting good experiences lifts up my spirit and makes me feel as if I’m the most blessed person in the world. Life is good! I just realized that there’s always more than one thing to be thankful about!
Maintain happy habits
It could be a walk in the park, going out for coffee, or treating yourself to a half hour foot massage. The key thing is to do these things consistently like every day, once a week or even every other week.
I consider writing as one of my happy habits. I feel good when I write even if I’m writing about a painful past or an uncertain future. It makes me happy! Even if no one reads this blog post, it doesn’t matter because this is me making my mark. This is me saying my piece. This is me baring my soul. It is me being real. Even if no one comments on it ( although your comments would be highly appreciated (^_^) ), it doesn’t matter because I feel good about my writing. I felt alive writing this looooong article. It was quite a ride! No matter what happens, I’d still be writing my heart out! It’s part of me. I’m a writer. Always.
I also enjoy crocheting. I learned it way back in high school but picked it up when I got pregnant through watching online crochet video tutorials.
” Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~ Harold Whitman
Get in the zone
The author also equates feeling happy to getting in the zone or having the flow. Right now, I’m in the zone! Words just pour out! Thoughts are making sense (hopefully)! I’m eloquently inspired by my muse. My chi is flowing beautifully to all meridians. My yin and yang are harmoniously united . Okay, I’ll stop now.
Value your time and the time you have with people.
“Cherish each hour for it can never return. Treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the car, kindness and understanding you could muster. Your life will never be the same again.” (Og Mandino)
As we get older, we realize how limited our time with people is. When we were younger, we thought somehow destiny will intervene for us and make us bump into familiar people. Well, reality bites, doesn’t it?! We realize that after 10 years, destiny didn’t bother to keep us in touch with these people. We realize that the past remained in our photo albums,slum books and Facebook friend lists. People have gone abroad and back and we still haven’t met up with them.
If we want to be happier, I guess we should not only value or time with people but also invest in them. We need to maintain these relationships or else you’ll just wake up one day and realize that you and your BFFS have drifted apart. That would be a shame, wouldn’t it? Relationships need love, time and effort.
As a mom, I treasure the time I spend with my little one. In a few months she’ll be one. Probably sooner than I realize, she’ll be going off to college. I need to cherish each laugh, burp, and milestone.
Live a purpose-driven life.
No, I haven’t read the book. But Ben mentioned that people who have a clear vision of their path in life experience more happiness. Happiness is experiencing meaning (now) and purpose (future). We first have to know what we want out life before we can get it, right? What is a purpose driven life?
Mandino states it strongly when he writes:
” I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth, I will apply all my effort to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.” (Og Mandino)
Shaw, expresses it passionately when he says:
” I want to be thoroughly used up when I die. For the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for it’s own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It’s a sort of splendid torch which I’ve got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations. ” (George Bernard Shaw)
I guess the perfect ending to this post would be a quote on happiness from one of my favorite authors, Og Mandino:
” Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. There is no happiness in having or in getting but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug.”
Hey there, don’t forget it..pin it!
In truth, there are so many ways that would allow people to be happier. Most of the time, those people do not choose to be happy but they choose to be stuck in the moment where they were down. Now, with the buzz about mental health is gaining and people are talking about it more, it is about time to consider how things are about happiness. Some are clinically depressed and even if they choose to be happy, they can’t. It’s how genetics can play a game with this.
Glad to know it helped you 🙂 thank you for visiting..
Sounds like a good idea! Btw would you happen yo know where i could get a mommy mundo planner? Do they have it in bookstores? Thanks much 🙂
Its always important to keep an optimistic view in life, and at times when i feel sad, down or lonely, i scoop up my boys and hug them tight while planting kisses here and there. 🙂 this 2016, i will use my bdj planner as a gratitude planner while my Mmundo planner for organizing. 🙂
This is the kind of book i really need. You see, i have a seasonal affective disorder during summer solstice. gloomy weather during the holiday season takes away my happiness. At least, you've given me hints and tips on how to combat my depressive state during the holidays. Thank you.
Thank you for reading it despite its length hehe. I agree being contented with what we have also makes us feel happy 🙂
Happy lifestyle. A person with contentment is also a happy person. =) Always think positive. This is a long, but great post. =) People should really be spreading happiness instead of hate. haha =)
So happy it was able to help you gain some insight. I felt the same way before 🙂 thank you for visiting!
This is just what I needed to read! I can so relate to feeling so excited about something (my business in my case), finally getting it, and feeling empty after getting what I had always dreamed of. Thank you for sharing this!