{"id":235856,"date":"2018-04-19T03:59:50","date_gmt":"2018-04-19T10:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/getrichslowly.org\/?p=235856"},"modified":"2023-12-06T10:40:39","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T17:40:39","slug":"how-to-be-happy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/how-to-be-happy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to be happy and lead a meaningful life"},"content":{"rendered":"
Overcoming fear<\/a> is one part of living life without regret. You do that by being open to new people and new experiences, and by acting even when you’re afraid. Another aspect of a rewarding life is learning to find happiness in your daily existence \u2014 and building upon that happiness to construct a meaningful life.<\/p>\n Today, in the second part of this limited series on mastering your life, I want to share what I’ve learned about how to be happy.<\/p>\n More than two thousand years ago, the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote<\/a>, “All knowledge and every pursuit aims at…the highest of all good achievable by action.” And what is<\/em> that good? “Both the general run of men and people of superior refinement say that it is happiness, and identify living well with being happy.”<\/p>\n In the Nicomachean Ethics<\/em>, Aristotle said that happiness is “the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.”<\/strong><\/p>\n To some extent, a good life requires good fortune. Happenstance can undermine the well-being of even the most virtuous person. But Aristotle held that ultimately happiness isn’t a product of chance. You can allow misfortune to crush you, or you can choose to bear the blows of fate with “nobility and greatness of soul”. Although fate may play a role in your affairs, Aristotle believed that in the end, happiness depends upon yourself<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Modern psychologists agree.<\/p>\n In The How of Happiness<\/em><\/a>, Sonja Lyubomirsky shares the results of years of research into what makes people happy. She’s concerned with “chronic happiness” (as opposed to temporary happiness), with people who maintain an elevated sense of well-being over time. Based on her work, Lyubomirsky believes:<\/p>\n Because circumstances play such a small role in your well-being \u2014 and because many of your circumstances are unchangeable \u2014 it makes more sense to boost your bliss through intentional activity, by controlling the things you can<\/em> control while ignoring the things you can’t.<\/p>\n You can’t wait for someone or something to make you happy. Happiness isn’t something that just happens; happiness is a byproduct of the the things you think and say and do.<\/strong><\/p>\n Just as you ought to become a money boss to take charge of your financial life, you ought to become a happiness boss to take charge of your emotional life. Believe it or not, you can<\/em> control your emotional responses. It just takes a bit of knowledge and practice.<\/p>\n For fifty years, psychologist Mih\u00e1ly Cs\u00edkszentmih\u00e1lyi<\/a> (pronounced “me-high cheek-sent-me-high-ee”) has studied human happiness and creativity. Much of his work has focused on flow<\/em><\/a>, which is his term for “optimal experience”.<\/p>\n Here’s how he describes flow<\/em>:<\/p>\n We have all experienced times when instead of being buffeted by anonymous forces, we [feel] in control of our actions, masters of our own fate. On the rare occasions that it happens, we feel a sense of exhilaration, a deep sense of enjoyment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Our peak experiences don’t come during passive moments.<\/strong> Sure, we enjoy reading a book or watching Big Bang Theory<\/em> or playing a videogame, but these aren’t the best moments of our lives. Instead, “the best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult or worthwhile.”<\/p>\n People are happiest when they forget their surroundings to focus on doing their best at something that challenges and interests them. In short, happiness is produced by total engagement in the pursuit of excellence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n We can experience flow during activities as basic as riding a bike or as complex as building a bridge.<\/p>\n Sometimes flow is achieved through physical activity. Athletes refer to this state as “being in the zone<\/a>“. People achieve this state of bliss while climbing mountains, sailing boats, or swimming oceans. But even mundane activities like cleaning the kitchen or doing taxes can produce flow, if they’re done well.<\/p>\n Peak experience also comes from mental pursuits. Many computer programmers become so engrossed in their work that time streams past like water. I experience flow while writing.<\/p>\n Today, for instance, I’ve been deeply engrossed in editing this article. As I’m working, my mind is so active and so engaged that it almost feels euphoric. I’m happy. I can’t imagine wanting to be anywhere other than in front of my computer, writing about money.<\/p>\n I am in a state of flow.<\/p>\n For more on flow, spend a few moments to watch Cs\u00edkszentmih\u00e1lyi’s TED talk on how flow is the secret to happiness<\/a>:<\/p>\n<\/span>The How of Happiness<\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/span>The Psychology of Optimal Experience<\/span><\/h2>\n