Pursuit of happiness

History-

In 2012, the United Nations (UN) declared March 20 to be observed as the International Day of Happiness.

The day recognizes that happiness is a fundamental human goal, and calls upon countries to approach public policies in ways that improve the well-being of all peoples.

Background-

The initiative to declare a day of happiness came from Bhutan – a country whose citizens are considered to be some of the happiest people in the world. The Himalayan Kingdom has championed an alternative measure of national and societal prosperity, called the Gross National Happiness Index (GNH). 

What IS Happiness?-

We can find a lot of different definitions of Happiness, in fact, Happiness can have a different meaning for any of us.

The research suggests that happiness is a combination of how satisfied you are with your life (for example, finding meaning in your work) and how good you feel on a day-to-day basis. Both of these are relatively stable—that is, our life changes and our mood fluctuates, but our general happiness is more genetically determined than anything else. 

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.” Charles Spurgeon

It’s intuitive to think that if we value happiness so much, we would ultimately be happier. If you want something bad enough, don’t you do whatever it takes to reach this goal?

For most goals, this works out okay. If I want to achieve good grades in school, improve my sales, get more clients, etc. the harder I work the better my results will probably be.

Unfortunately, when happiness is our end goal and we approach it this way, it may lead to less happiness.

This is because unlike getting good grades, there is a paradoxical effect between the goal and our evaluation of the outcome. Think about it; the more we value happiness the more likely we are to expect happiness and to set higher happiness standards that are difficult to obtain.

Putting a high value on happiness leads us to be disappointed because our level of happiness won’t meet our expectations.

This is particularly true in situations where there is little stress and where happiness would seem to be most in reach. There is nothing to attribute our lack of happiness too, and we may assume “I should be happier!”

This only takes away from our potential of experiencing greater joy, contentment, and pleasure.

Learn how to be happy with children-

 One of the great things about kids is that it usually doesn’t take much to entertain them. In fact, most of us know at least one child that had more fun playing with a box that contained a gift you got them more than the gift itself. That can be hard to take if you’re the gift giver, but what enjoyment they got letting their imagination run wild and turning that box into a boat or car or train.

As adults, we’re often stuck in reality. We feel that we have to close our imaginations off and focus on life as it is. However, when we do that, we tend to leave enjoyment behind. Reality is often a grim picture and it’s even worse when we’ve suddenly removed its color.

Don’t be afraid to dream and wish and let your mind wander to faraway places. It’s often these escapes from reality that benefit us the most as they reduce our stress, calm our nerves and instill hope for a brighter future.

It’s not bad to behave like a child at certain times. They often get the better end of the deal with all their happiness and zest for life. Let your inner child out and you can do the same. She’s dying to show you what life is all about.

Happiness is Not: 

Feeling Good All The Time

Being Rich or Affording Everything You Want

A Final Destination

Happiness IS: 

Choice

Attitude of mind 

State of mind

In the present moment.