Happiness
Everyone wants to be happy. Many very smart people consider it a goal, objective, and foundational reason for many of their actions. I think that happiness is a sensation that helps us remain aligned with our purpose. The value of happiness is not the sensation itself. The true value of happiness is that it helps guide us in to an optimal condition. Our bodies have many complex indicators that work in the same way. For example, the pain sensation protects from serious injury and teaches us to avoid dangerous situations. It’s more like a gauge on the dashboard of your car. It’s just an indication that things are good. So saying that you want to be happy is the same thing as saying you want increased alignment with your purpose.
Happiness alone is not enough
What if there was a surgery available that would disconnect the happiness indicator from the reality of our lives? A procedure that would permanently set our gauge to “Happy”. If we selected the procedure, we would live out a blissful existence until our final minute. The trouble is that would require us to completely disconnect from life. How would we intuitively navigate the choices before us if the ultimate outcome would be the same? Other people could take advantage of our labor and time. They could rob us of the meaningful experiences that define humanity. Reality would be filled with pain and awful things, but our minds would still be happy. That’s why I believe that happiness is such an important indicator. It is a necessary mechanism that is purposely woven in to our design for our benefit. It is a sensation that helps to guide and correct our actions by reinforcing positive behavior.
Happiness is the result of choices
Of course you still want to be happy. If you want happiness now, or at least as soon as possible, then you need to take action. The good news is that happiness does not require a surgical procedure. It just requires you to make at least one simple choice to take one simple action that will move you in the direction of your purpose. It doesn’t even have to be a profound spiritual purpose. There are some basic purposes and needs that all people share. Try one of them to start. Put some healthy food in to your body, turn off the computer and get some exercise, do some work, or check something off of your to-do list.
Happiness and sorrow
I do have one final thing to say about happiness. Sometimes, circumstances beyond our control send up major roadblocks in life. The simple techniques described in this article may help, but they are unlikely to overcome the tremendous weight of grief or mental illness. If you fall in to the category of people dealing with a serious issue such as death, unemployment, or illness, you will need to take action too. The action you take will depend on your situation, but will be more focused on overcoming adversity or moving towards acceptance. The advice provided in this article cannot possibly be specific enough to help you, but please keep looking and know that I do care and that I sincerely hope you find yourself able to take at least one small step in the right direction today.
Happiness Action Plan
1. Start logging your happiness. Keeping track of your happiness along with other activities will help you identify your purposes. The improved clarity you achieve over time will help you focus your energy on the activities that are best for you.
2. Start a happiness plan. Your happiness plan is really more of a life plan because happiness is not a goal itself. The key here is just to get a plan started and realize that it is a living work that will evolve over time.
3. Take action now. Pick the first good positive idea that jumps to mind and go for it. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Get some physical exercise. Exercise improves your physical health and releases endorphins that make you feel great.
- Do some relationship building. Play with your children, express gratitude to your spouse, or call a good friend and talk.
- Cook a really healthy meal and enjoy it with your family.
- Set a goal. Choose something you’ve wanted to achieve for a while, get excited about it, and take the first steps required to achieve it.
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