Happy and Content - how can I feel happy?
The pursuit of happiness is not new, but it is still not fully understood. I’m not going to tell you that I’ve cracked it, but I will share with you some thoughts and things that I think can help.
Firstly, happiness or contentment aren’t destinations, we tend to feel that we’ll somehow arrive at destination happy. We feel that if we get that promotion/ job title/ new car or partner, then we’ll be happy. This binary, have or have not thinking, means we think of happiness or contentment as things to capture or attain, and once captured, we’ll be happy!
In fact, I think the better way to think of it is in terms of the “sum of the parts”. There is no one thing that will make you happy, instead the key is to find balance in as many aspects of your life as possible.
Yes, pursue a rewarding career and strive for that promotion or job title, but limit your desire or obsession for that one thing, balance it with other areas of your life
Pursuit of a healthy body, yes, invest in your heath, but not in the exclusive desire for the six pack, but as a balance of a healthy body and healthy mind (we all know that even limited exercise releases that feel good chemical – endorphin)
Pursue a balanced social life, aim to find the balance between friends, partners and family. But don’t let any of these groups make you feel too bad if you don’t spend as much time with them as they’d like.
Our friends over at “Askmen” have pulled together a detailed list of 12 questions that might help you take a step back and assess your happiness a little more objectively. Below we’ve summarized the questions to give you a feel
- Are you happy to get up in the morning?
- Is your happiness conditional?
- Does the thought of happiness make you nervous?
- Do you look forward to seeing your friends and family?
- Are you only happy when you buy something?
- Are you healthy?
- Do you feel productive?
- Where were you a year ago today?
- What makes you the happiest?
- Do you find happiness in the little things?
- What's stopping you from being happy?
- Do you have balance in your life?
Head over to Askmen (https://au.askmen.com/money/body_and_mind_100/118_better_living.html)
for further content of the above 12 questions.
