1
0
Can you answer this question: what would make you happy? I find it surprising how few people can answer this question!
I believe being happy is something we all seek and I also believe that we are the best version of ourselves when we are happy. Its when we make the best decisions and its also when we start to be less selfish and be more open to helping and accepting others.
So why is it hard to answer the question about what makes us happy? I find that it is easy to get bogged down with expectations, whether it be from society’s norms or from our family and friends.
For example, based on society’s norms, it should make us happy to complete schooling / university, have a good career, find someone to settle down with, buy a home and have a family. Somehow, if we do all these things then we should be happy!
Our family may have additional expectations around status and wealth that, if attained, would make us happy. We may have our own goals of being wealthy and/or becoming a CEO. But are these goals really aligned with happiness?
What if we put happiness as the central goal we wanted to achieve, would having a higher education or a high powered job then be at the top of our list of things to do to attain happiness? I have a feeling that it may not be.
So if the pursuit of happiness is indeed what we all seek, then why don’t we first stop to think what that might be before we plough forward with our lives? Its easy to get bogged down trying to meet expectations and, even if we meet them, we may still be unhappy.
I think the main problem is that it is difficult to figure out what makes us happy. It takes a lot of time, self awareness, self reflection and knowing yourself well. At the end of the day maybe its just easier to go with the expectations of society/others and that’s what we do. The good news is that maybe we get lucky and end up happy at the end of this journey but maybe its time we actually try to figure out what makes us happy first?!
So true, which is scary when you think about it.
The comment about it being hard is interesting. With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and the difference between what “should” be a logical decision yet isn’t, really makes this a very challenging area indeed.
Interested to hear your thoughts with respect to simple, achievable approaches to this challenge.