This must be the place — “happiness”. The end game.
Such a vague and subjective concept to describe, “happiness”.
May the dictionary will find someday clarity and homogeneity enough to define it better than today.
Probably for many, there would be a very common denominator in the definition. Momentary.
Couple of questions we might have to analyse here
· Do we have tools to make it last longer? Based on what?
· How can we make happiness a more structural part of our life?
According to Phycology Today, philosophers, theologians, psychologists, and economists have long sought to define it, and since the 1990s, a whole scientific community the positive psychology has been dedicated to pinning it down and propagating it.
More than simply positive mood, happiness is a state of well-being that encompasses living a good life with a sense of meaning and deep satisfaction.
Research shows that happiness is not the result of bouncing from one joy to the next. Achieving happiness involves times of considerable discomfort.
Money is important to happiness, but only to a certain point. Money buys freedom from worry about the basics in life housing, food, and clothing. Genetic makeup, life circumstances, achievements, marital status, social relationships, all influence how happy you are in some way.
However money, material things or relationships are all exogenous factors, 50% of them we can influence.
The relevant and more structural part which creates the base for this 50% for happiness to become a longer term feeling comes from the inside.
And that is only related to how we create those spaces from the inside out to generate endogenous happiness, so when the discomfort to achieve our happiness comes, we are able to focus our entire-selves in that part we can influence and is under our control, avoiding to blame the exogenous factors on our happiness or luck (the other key 50%)
How to find more times that place called happiness
Or more often and prolonged.
Based on numerous studies, interviews, emotional brain responses and its results, what it has been discovered is people with a deep understanding on a profounder meaning of their own existence have a more developed sense of gratitude and fruitfulness, than others who don’t have a clear sense on their main purpose in life.
Also conclusions were made on the opposite, when people found their meaning in any of other various exogenous factors, the feel of completeness was scoring lower comparing both sample universes.
Exogenous factors are work, relatives, family or any other factor or influence coming outside of the person itself.
What was also discovered is people with deeper meaning and purpose were able to respond better to difficulties (of any kind) and were more productive in any project they were involved, regardless of the outer conditions.
So maybe before setting our goals on any external factor, we might invest time to reflect and put the focus on what’s behind everything we do in life, that get us carry on and on no matter what, which lies inside us or saying it in other words, that part of the equation we have full influence on. And once we come to find it, let’s grab it, cultivate it and make it grow using any available resource we have around. So let’s put the rest of the outer factors (outer 50%) in service of the meaning.
Listing all those meaningful topics for us might give us the structural answers we are trying to find everywhere else.
And as everything which is meaningful in life, it’s worth it to invest time and energy to pursue.
Because everything else is built on that main meaning. Everything makes sense once we understand this and we make it happen in the real world.
Thinking is just an illusion. Doing is real. Problem is a word we have created to overthink. Solution is another we have created to do and create. Fear and love work in opposite ways. Let’s do more and fear less, because there is a big consequence to reach called happiness. This must be the place.
Connect if you feel like sharing more ideas, and do subscribe.
If you want to put in practice some ideas, check out the essay a life in a second
Ignacio Gallo Campos
Recommended song of the week — College & Electric Youth — A Real Hero (Drive Original Movie Soundtrack)
About the author
I am giving away a copy of the book a life in a second. How? If you get in touch and participate on one “unique interview” where you share any idea, tool or trick for life hacking.
Since 2011, I have put together in a trilogy of books published on Amazon, Bubok or Google Books.
English Books Amazon Kindle — The biggest fake, All dogs are Labradors, A life in a second
English Books Bubok Paper Back, Kindle — The biggest fake, All dogs are Labradors, A life in a second
English Books Google Books Paper Back, Kindle — The biggest fake, All dogs are Labradors, A life in a second
Spanish Books Bubok En papel, Kindle — La gran farsa maestra, Todos los perros son Labradores, Una vida en un segundo
Any project you want to jointly work or write about? Any conference you want me to participate in? — Get in touch. Watch me on Youtube and subscribe to get unique monthly videos.
