Happiness? Yes Please

Happiness isn’t a momentary elated experience such as winning the local church bingo game or receiving the all-time best birthday present. Rather, it’s a personalized state of contentment that weaves in and out of our lives emanating from the experiences we create and the actions we take.  Sustained happiness is an essential ingredient for a life worth living. 

Happiness studies have determined that roughly 50% of our happiness is determined by our genetics/biology, 10% by life circumstances and 40% by our intentional actions. That certainly allows for a significant amount of control we can wield to determine our level of happiness. If you have ever read any of my musings my strong belief in intentional behavior is clear.

 The Harvard Study on Adult Development has identified, “strong social relationships as the single most important factor for happiness and health.”

Happiness is less about the big bang of the shiny new car or home, the big promotion, the 200,00 followers on YouTube or being chosen Prom Queen or King, even though any of those may make many of us happy in the moment. Happiness will more likely emanate from the small daily intentional extensions of thoughtful caring extended to a family member, a neighbor or stranger.

The hug we give is the hug we receive. 

Some ideas for fostering and enhancing happiness are: 

·       Nurturing Relationships:  Cultivating deep, meaningful connections with family and friends.

·       Practicing Gratitude: Recognizing and valuing the things in life that increase your satisfaction.

·       Living with Purpose: Engaging in the organizations, principles, activities and causes that matter most to you. 

·       Mindfulness and Contentment: Be present in the moment and recognize joyful opportunities, rather than constantly striving toward future milestones.

·       Altruism: Express compassion and strive to do things for others, which builds and strengthens community and provides personal fulfillment. 

 Stress and worry are too often present in our daily lives nowadays. More focused effort on happiness may be just what the doctor ordered.