It was a weekend day after a long and busy week at work, so I was really trying to find some short-term happiness. For a lot of people, this sounds like a logical decision. Now it’s time to hear from you! Long-term happiness is based on concepts that are not created by a single event. Will that happiness sustain into the future? “Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. If you are willing to actively pursue greater happiness, I believe you can steer your life in the best direction. These people are selected at random and are asked the following question: Please imagine a ladder, with steps numbered from 0 at the bottom to 10 at the top. These people argue that by pursuing happiness, you’ll be more tempted to choose short-term happiness over long-term happiness. And that’s one of the most critical aspects of happiness. This animation shows my “happiness ratings” for the past 5 years. Long-term happiness is created by feeling happy about your purpose in life, the successes that you’ve had and/or the satisfaction of who you are and what you’ve accomplished. doing nothing!). ‘Success is not the key to happiness. They say happiness is a journey and not a destination. I had the pleasure of visiting both countries in June and it’s a great time to stay there. The topic of Happiness is of the utmost importance. However, there are a number of people that believe that pursuing happiness is a loser’s game. I have tracked my own happiness for over 5 years by now. Finding Personal Meaning Is the Key. Your happiness equation is unique. These essays about happiness are my understanding of what happiness truly means to me. I’d love to hear all about it in the comments! I’ve been doing this for over 5 years now, and I’ve shared this method of tracking happiness with hundreds of others already. Furthermore, it quickly follows with a long list of synonyms. Lesson learned? In his book, CEO of Self (2001), Cain did say “Hope is the key to happiness, which is the key to success.” Close, but no cigar. Going to an amusement park? I want you to realize that you can learn more about your own happiness equation. We know from research, the teachings of our elders, and our own experience that finding personal meaning is a key to being deeply happy. There is one loose end to clarify: in authentic happiness theory, the strengths and virtues—kindness, social intelligence, humor, courage, integrity, and the like (there are twenty-four of them)—are the supports for engagement. Happiness is a fickle beast. The things that I did yesterday were perfect, as it was a very happy day for me. I think this is a fascinating way to measure happiness. As you’ll learn, happiness doesn’t have a single universal definition. He is spending the best years of his life making sacrifices in anticipation of what he eventually wants to become. What is happiness exactly? And that’s what makes happiness so incredibly difficult to define and measure. It’s like they’re saying: “Hey, we don’t know exactly how to define happiness, but here are a couple of concepts that we believe are very much similar!”. Track your happiness for a while, and you’ll be amazed at how much you can learn from it. Drinking wine with your friends? Sure, you feel pretty happy when doing these things, but you can probably see how this lifestyle will eventually catch up with you, right? NO! The real key to happiness is in realizing that attaining any or all of those things we think we really, really want will never actually make us happy. If short-term satisfaction made me happy yesterday, then it won’t necessarily make me happy next week. And I bet you feel the same. Earthly happiness emerged as the idol of idols, the locus of meaning in modern life, the source of human aspiration, the purpose of existence, the why and the wherefore. You can pursue both short-term happiness and long-term happiness. For example, I do actually want to finish my next marathon within a decent time, but I’m not going to make myself miserable by pushing myself to the limit in preparation. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” ~ Albert Schweitzer French-German philosopher Albert Schweitzer won the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his philosophical work entitled ‘Reverence of Life’. I’ll even go as far as to say that the happiness equation changes per person per day. I’ve presented the 2018 results in the interactive chart below. – Theodore Isaac Rubin, True happiness is…to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future. Personal Growth & Productivity; Self Esteem & Self-Love; Love & Relationships; Social, Human Rights and Cultural Issues ... you should endeavor to speak with integrity and only say what you mean. Happiness is the key to success. They want to enjoy being here in this big, crazy, confusing world. In addition to the happiness ratings, I also track the factors that have significantly influenced this happiness. Before starting this essay about happiness, we must at least have a broad idea of what happiness is. Happiness. The place to be happy is here. (Pros and Cons). Good, because I’m going to add yet another reason why happiness is such a difficult thing to measure! It’s the propensity to feel positive emotions, and holding a sense of purpose. Congratulations, you now have money to spend on all kinds of things that make you and your family happy! Many a times, we tend to think that success is your key to happiness. The happiness that comes from achieving a goal is fleeting at best. The pursuit of happiness and meaning are two of our most central motivations in life. John Lennon > Quotes > Quotable Quote “When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. That’s also why it’s supposedly so hard to measure and quantify. Google thinks happiness is defined as follows: You can see how Google is pretty vague about the definition of happiness. These reports are based on data collected from the Gallup World Poll, a global survey that interviews approximately 1,000 residents per country. Founder of Tracking Happiness and lives in the Netherlands. – John Barrymore, Happiness is the interval between periods of unhappiness. If we want to be deeply happy, we have to focus on meaning. For example, I’m happy at the moment because I’m grateful for the life that I have right now. The thing is, these extreme examples are not something that you should want. We all want to be happy, above everything else, right? The hedonic treadmill will diminish the effect events have on your happiness over time. This is where the hedonic treadmill will quickly evaporate whatever happiness you’ve created for yourself. What makes you happy is a constantly changing equation that is unique in every way. Have you ever made a bad decision that resulted in a decreased level of happiness? You just need to be willing to actively look for it in the right places. – Joseph Wood Krutch, Happiness comes only when we push our brains and hearts to the farthest reaches of which we are capable. No, I’m happy because I work hard and have achieved things that I am proud of. Picture a life in which you spent your youth partying, doing whatever you want to do, using drugs and living without planning for a good future. Happiness has three aspects: positive emotion, engagement, and meaning, each of which feeds into life satisfaction and is measured entirely by subjective report. I’m not here to tell you that you should focus 50% of your attention on short-term happiness and the other 50% on long-term happiness. Happiness is a state of mind and the feeling expressed when things are going great. Happiness Economics: The formal academic study of the relationship between individual satisfaction and economic issues, such as employment and wealth. – Eleanor Roosevelt, Happiness is like a kiss. And that's OK. That's how we're wired, after all. – Andy Rooney, Happiness is itself a kind of gratitude. You have to find out how much you value your happiness on the journey itself and how much of that happiness you want to sacrifice by investing in a potentially happier future. With the data that I’ve tracked, I’ve been able to calculate just how much my happiness is correlated to my relationship, my personal finances, my sleep habits, and my work. Tracking Happiness helps you understand 100% of your happiness and get in control. You must share it to enjoy it. Avoid gossip and using your words to … Here’s an entire article I wrote recently about how difficult it is to define happiness, but you can still try for yourself! Why would you believe some scientist when he or she claims that happiness is impossible to pursue? What came to your mind? Including you. Why eternal happiness can still be pursued, “Can I share a story about myself & my 2 lovely, Simple, but so powerful. What are we focused on in life? What did you think of? Blog. Ran 5 marathons, with one of them in under 4 hours (3:59:58 to be exact). We express our gratitude by saying “thank you” when somebody gives us a gift, holds a door open for us, or during every-day family meals. I just want you to know that you need to find a balance. This sample essay about happiness will give you the idea of what essay about happiness should look like. It takes me only a minute per day to track my happiness like this. The primary meaning of "happiness" in various European languages involves good fortune, chance or happening. Wouldn’t it be great if you could do that right now? – George Sheehan, Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best. I wrote down ‘happy’. Yes, by consciously varying the pursuit of short-term and long-term happiness, you can vary the factors in your life in a way that leads to greater happiness. They can't seem to find … But to me, this sounds like a huge mistake. There are multiple methods that have been used around the world to measure and define happiness. The answers are used to formulate a Happiness Index. I want you to think about this for a moment since a lot of people in industrialized countries have the urge to constantly be planning for the future. Career Well-Being: Key to Happiness How to strengthen yours. However, reverse of it is true when you do a work with happiness and love then you get success for sure. Taking a long warm bath? Happiness should bread success. Once we’re happy, and we’re doing something we love in life, success becomes a byproduct. – Jim Rohn, Happiness is different from pleasure. A few months ago, a friend of mine was going through a difficult situation, but … These correlations are extremely interesting and reveal a lot of interesting ways in which happiness is influenced. What if I told you that defining your happiness can be done by measuring it? It’s based on small and easy to obtain, yet rather unsustainable happiness. Do a kind act a day. It’s up to you to define what makes you happy. Even though this example is extreme, the theory of diminishing returns applies here. if you love what you are doing, you will be successful.’ – Albert Schweitzer; Key to Happiness Books. What has been your biggest happiness factor last week? Instead of just playing a videogame, I decide to write an essay about my understanding of happiness. You can be happy on the journey towards a happy future. Happiness is the key to success. Who cares about good health if your lonely and depressed? Nobody can tell you what exactly to do in order to be happy. Perhaps it's safe to say that most people want to be happy. When repeated, the effect of the same event on your happiness will diminish to zero. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude. And with that said, I want to conclude this essay about happiness. The key to true happiness is being able to discover it in every moment, not waiting for it to arrive with the achievement of some future goal. I just don’t yet know the origins of this quotation. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. A key component of Aristotle’s theory of happiness is the factor of virtue. Hell, even your health starts to decline. pride a feeling of being pleased or satisfied that you get when you or people who are connected with you have done something well or own something that other people admire: The sight of her son graduating filled her with pride. If you are aware of your own happiness equation, you’re able to pursue happiness in the areas where it matters the most. Well, the World Happiness Council correlates this Happiness Index to a lot of other variables, such as GDP, health and social well-being. – Mahatma Gandhi, Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude. Wikipedia has a much more interesting definition of what happiness is. The thing is, realizing the difference between short-term and long-term happiness makes it easier for us to pursue happiness in our lives. It’s probably the most pursued factor in life, above wealth, health and good relationships. I’m here to tell you that you should be aware of your own happiness. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. A more extreme example is drugs. Got it? Wikipedia seems to better acknowledge how hard it is to define happiness When this event is over, the pleasure is gone. You can find out what it is that makes you happy. This is another extreme example of happiness. In the future, you may use it as the idea for your written project about happiness. – Denis … The Ultimate Coffee Guide For Energy Boost, 10 Practical Ways to Improve Time Management Skills, A Complete Guide to Goal Setting for Personal Success, How to Live Life to the Fullest and Enjoy Each Day, How Self-Doubt Keeps You Stuck (And How to Overcome It), 30 Books Everyone Should Read At Least Once In Their Lives, It’s Okay To Be Envious As Long As You’re Not Jealous, Science Says People Who Talk To Themselves Are Geniuses, 11 Red Flags in a Relationship Not To Ignore, Easily Misunderstood by Others? I want to invite you to try doing the same thing. The answer is probably no. Every single person on this planet has a different definition of happiness. You can get started right away with my free and easy-to-use template. Happiness is equated with feeling pleasure or contentment, meaning that happiness is not to be confused with joy, ecstasy, bliss, or other more intense feelings. In fact, your definition of happiness is likely a combination of satisfaction, cheeriness, merriment, and jollity. You might feel satisfied with the progress you’re making, but are you truly happy? Happiness should be distinguished from joy. And while this is not a bad thing in principle, we often take it too far. ... and that fairness, autonomy, community and engagement are key aspects of happiness and wellbeing throughout the life course. Who cares about money when you’re not happy? What I like about Google is that it shows synonyms of happiness to people that are looking for its definition. I’m not saying that sacrificing short-term happiness for long-term happiness is bad. Gratitude is the key to happiness. Happiness is the thing that most people want, yet it is one of the most difficult aspects of life to quantify. You can only lead a truly happy life when you actively pursue both short-term and long-term happiness. Data junkie and happiness tracker for over 7 years. 6 Barriers You Should Overcome to Make Communication Less Frustrating, How To Feel Happier (10 Scienece-Backed Ways), Full Body Workouts To Make You Strong After Weight Loss, 15 Best Autobiographies Everyone Should Read At Least Once In Their Lives, 20 Medical Benefits of Marijuana You Probably Never Knew, Quotes From Socrates That Are Full Of Wisdom, 7 Ways to Concentrate Better in a Toxic Work Environment, 8 Things to Remember When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed, How to Not Get Distracted: 10 Practical Tips to Sharpen Your Focus, Why You Can’t Focus and 20 Things You Can Do to Fix It, Girl Using Laptop In Hotel Room/Ed Gregory via stokpic.com, Talking Out Loud Improves Memory Retention, How Talking to Yourself Makes You Smarter, The Application of Psychology in Business, Happiness is not something ready made. However, when our happiness hinges on our success, good things never come.It’s also a matter of focus. (Personal Data And More), Top 10 Factors Responsible For Happiness (Actual 2020 Data). We've all heard that simplicity is the key to happiness. The Happiness Index is created by the World Happiness Council in their yearly released World Happiness Reports. The Simple English Wiktionary has a definition for: happiness. In this article we will say a bit more on this, and then give you tips on strengthening yours. How do you define your own happiness right now? Nothing! Think of all the synonyms that we use to describe feelings that are similar to happiness. Now that you know what this hedonic treadmill is, it might seem like a waste of time to continue reading this essay, right? Do you think you can learn from your own happiness? Now that you are aware of these two different kinds of happiness, I want you to picture some scenarios. This article is a part of the most in-depth guide on how to be happy, which answers these questions in the first section: What Is Happiness? One of the best examples of this hedonic treadmill is the following: Think of a big salary bump. Sure, you want to plan for a happy future, but what’s the point of all of this when you’re not happy in the process itself? Can Happiness Be Controlled? If you get in a fatal car crash tomorrow, would you have any regrets? For me personally, when I think back of yesterday, I remember that I really enjoyed spending time with my girlfriend, walking through the woods on a sunny day and just relaxing (a.k.a. See, nobody on the internet will be able to define happiness for you. How do we measure happiness? Instead of focusing on individual cases of happiness, the Happiness Index aims to establish happiness levels for entire countries. – Albert Schweitzer. How To Live Life With Intention (4 Actionable Ways), Extreme Minimalism: Can It Make You Happy? I want to show you a couple of these methods, starting with the most practical and intuitive way to measure and understand your happiness. The more you read, the more you will discover. What I want you to realize is that your personal definition of happiness is unique. I go out for a long-distance training run in the pouring rain because I want to eventually finish another marathon in 3 months. Why? – Dale Carnegie, Happiness depends more on how life strikes you than on what happens. It is not possible at all for a person to live their lives devoid of joy and Happiness. There are different kinds of happiness. Let’s combine this knowledge. Some examples are sex, having a laugh with friends, finishing a race, watching a funny video online, or watching an exciting game of football. Or the 100th time? That’s why I consider this to be short-term happiness. – Don Marquis, Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is. I don’t even enjoy the long-distance run but I think that it will eventually lead to a great finish time, and thus long-term happiness. Wikipedia has a much more interesting definition of what happiness is. I skip a nice snack because I want to maintain my weight. If pleasure makes me happy today, it doesn’t mean that that same amount of pleasure makes me happy tomorrow. These things result in short-term happiness because the Dopamine is released based on a single event. Where the Happiness Council correlates the Happiness Index to other factors on a country-wide level, my Happiness Essays are about correlating happiness to personal factors in life. Success is not the key to happiness. It’s simple. Feeling happy may help people to relax and to smile. Think of the things that really made you smile or feel satisfied with where you were or how you acted. It doesn’t matter though, because you eventually want to reach your goals, and then you’ll be happy right? Even though it’s supposedly really hard to measure and define this factor of life, we can still learn a lot from trying to measure it in our own personal lives. ... “I saw their happiness increase after each letter, meaning the more they wrote, the better they felt,” said … What I want most of all now is that you realize how you just measured a part of your happiness. What makes you happy doesn’t necessarily make another person happy. On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time? At the end of every day, I consider how happy I felt throughout the day and rate it on a scale from 1 to 10. While the hedonic treadmill is very much real – I’ll never deny that – I don’t want you to think that greater happiness can’t be achieved. The feeling of an emotion such as pleasure or joy, the appraisal of life satisfaction or the quality of life, subjective well-being and eudaimonia. Career well-being is your answer to, "Do you like what you do each day?" Success should not breed happiness. In conclusion, though there is no easy and precise definition of happiness, common attributes like sound health, caring family, freedom and personal contentment are regarded to be key ingredients to be happy in life. This is exactly what I’ve asked you to do just now. ... There’s a part of the Happiness Index that cannot be explained by these key happiness factors. Still with me? – Leo Rosten, Happiness is not something you experience, it’s something you remember. After a long and dark winter, people are immensely grateful that the days are getting longer again and summer is coming. – Dalai Lama, Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. Was it that silly movie you watched? These are happiness factors that were a vital part of my happiness equation yesterday. Syed The definition of customer happiness is meeting or exceeding expectations of the service, now, expectations are not uniform among customer segments or markets and also are subject to multiple external factors like available competitive offers. Because these synonyms are all specific variants of what happiness means to me. It turns out that happiness can be measured in a lot of ways! But only YOU can do this, no one else will be able to tell you what happiness really is. He contended that in aiming for happiness, the most important factor is to have ‘complete virtue’ or – in other words – good moral character (Pursuit of Happiness, 2008). Whereas in the fifth century, Boethius could claim that "God is happiness itself," [3] by the middle of the 19th century, the formula was reversed to read "Happiness is God." It’s important to find out what your perfect balance is. I think there is a lot we can learn just from the fact that happiness has so many synonyms. You need to find out what happiness means to you, and how you want to pursue it. What is there to learn about happiness? This is not as easy as it sounds. Unfortunately not. For me personally, I often notice how much short-term happiness I’m sacrificing in anticipation of long-term happiness. You don’t have time for sleep, social activities or relationships. Research shows that career well-being is the most influential of the five factors that affect happiness the most. If you arrived at this essay without having a clear idea of what happiness is, I hope you now know that your personal happiness can be defined, measured and quantified. Instead of appreciating the luxury of your raise, you will grow accustomed to this extra money and will slowly take it for granted. How do we define happiness? Happiness is a feeling of pleasure and positivity. When was the last time you were proud of yourself? I believe that happiness can actively be pursued and that you can steer your life in the best direction possible by doing this. ... both key factors of a joyful life. All these different emotions are part of what happiness truly is. When joy is a constant state of mind, happiness depends on events in our lives. A Albert Schweitzer. For those who do not believe this, I can recommend a trip to Sweden and Finland during the summer. Now think about doing that exact thing every day, for the rest of your life, until the day you die. Most importantly, being contented in life is the key to being happy. That’s why I set out to write this essay of what happiness really is. This adaptation is known as the hedonic treadmill, and it is generally conceived as the arch-enemy of happiness. And your answer has a big effect on your Happiness. As a result, we are constantly sprinting from one deadline to the other. And that’s the remaining “factor” that the World … After reading this essay, you’ll know exactly what happiness is, how to define it for yourself and even how to find it based on actionable advice. happiness the good feeling that you have when you are happy: Money can’t buy you happiness. What is the definition of the Happiness Index? Was it a nice sunny day spent outside? Living a passionate life is the fulfillment that comes from the process of creation. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul,” says Amy Collette. Happiness is different for every single human being on this planet. When looking at the list of happiness synonyms, I think the following concepts are clearly centered around short-term happiness: You see, short-term happiness is based on the release of the chemical Dopamine in our brain. That’s not the balance that I’m after. It’s an indexation of happiness based on survey results, that was first used in the 2012 World Happiness Report. But the way you personally define happiness will likely change from day to day as well. The way to be happy is to make others so. I think happiness can – and should – be both. Because I think it will grow my website, which will make me happy in the long run. The time to be happy is now. Your happiness equation transforms with your changing life, whether it’s for better or worse. That’s why I created this website and that’s why I have written half a dozen of Happiness Essays. We need to happily succeed rather than try to succeed to be happy. – Oscar Levant, Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. – Lucius Annaeus Seneca. What is happiness!? If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. What can you learn from this Happiness Index? Happiness is a state, not a trait; in other words, it isn’t a long-lasting, permanent feature or personality trait, but a more fleeting, changeable state. You spend an incredible amount of time working on your projects, and you even make sacrifices just for the sake of your goals. The key is to find the perfect balance between the two. What do we wan… All Rights Reserved. Think back at the last week, and remember what things or events had a positive influence on your happiness. Do you derive comfort from the misfortune of other, Ever wanted to start a diary while keeping track o, When you make plans for the future, does it involv, the most in-depth guide on how to be happy, the release of the chemical Dopamine in our brain, all kinds of things that make you and your family happy, happiness is correlated to my relationship, a Happiness Prediction Model based on my happiness ratings and factors, How Long Can Happiness Last? Its definition is unique for every single human being out there. – Margaret Lee Runbeck, Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude. This happiness is not caused by something I’m doing at this very moment. Now, what if I told you that a perfect balance between long-term and short-term happiness can limit the effect that the hedonic treadmill has on you? – Bernard Meltzer, Happiness is the only good. Was it work? Books provide physical exercise for the brain and mental stimulation to the mind. Happiness has something to do with struggling and enduring and accomplishing. I’ve even been able to engineer a Happiness Prediction Model based on my happiness ratings and factors. You can do exactly the same. Not just in the way we define happiness, but also in the way we experience it. Happiness is the key to success. The point that I’m trying to make here is that happiness can truly be defined, measured and quantify. I consider the things that happened throughout the day that had an effect on my happiness and I write them down. The feeling of an emotion such as pleasure or joy, the appraisal of life satisfaction or the quality of life, subjective well-being and eudaimonia. Herman Cain may have been quoting someone else — possibly even Schweitzer. Loving the right things and loving them in the right way is the key. Good, because the next step is to define what the difference is between short-term and long-term happiness. Happiness is the key to success. This organic chemical is released whenever we are stimulated by things that please us. It comes from your own actions. Without it, life holds no meaning at all. Yes, Here’s How! You are here: Home » How To Be Happy » What Is Happiness, Published on December 13, 2020February 20, 2019, last updated on December 13, 2020. Happiness and success are preceded by gratitude. • Wealth is relati. True happiness is the gentle pulling away from yourself by which you find a better self that can prosper. Hence, the nurturing of communities — both sub-segments of the firm such as … Actually, happiness is having satisfaction and meaning in your life. I want you to think of a couple of examples for yourself. Or the 1000th time? – Robert Green Ingresoll, Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present. You might have guessed it, but this scenario is focused exclusively on short-term happiness. Leaders should view their firm as a nested set of communities, with individuals as the key components of each. In the survey, the respondents were asked to rate their happiness on a scale from 0 to 10.