HAPPINESS

 Hello friend!

Today, am going to talk about happiness. We all want to be happy. If we are not happy, we are sad and that means we don’t feel as motivated to do as much as we want and other people get concerned. They want to know what is going on with you. But how can we be happy? Is there a quick guide to happiness?

 

As humans, we turn to want to get results instantly. If we are trying to lose weight, we want to see the change the same day, if we are practicing a solo, we want it perfected in a matter of minutes and not days. If you ask around, so many people will say they can't be happy because maybe they don’t have money, or they are not as famous or owning that awesome car. It's almost as if we tell ourselves we will be happy only after we obtain something only to want other things when we get them. Feeling yet unsatisfied. So how can we be happy?

 

I was watching a ted talk by Robert Waldiger titled, "what makes a good life? Lessons from the life long study of happiness". He was explaining that some study of Harvard young men started some time back specializing and taking a look at how they grow from mostly their teen years till old age. It was found that a group of them in their 20s wanted to have a lot of money while others wanted to be famous. We are happy doing things that make us happy, these people probably thought they would be happy in these conditions and yet they mostly had to work hard at offices and only dream of what they want.

 

The studies show that for the majority of the men studied, most were happy not because of accumulated wealth or material possessions, or even being famous. Rather, it was the close relationships with family and friends that made them happy. Them knowing they can trust someone and rely on them in dire times and socially conversing with them every single day. Indeed a relationship can never be perfect as there are ups and downs that we all go through. But they are all important for growth sometimes as well as understanding. It is communicating and we are social beings. We want to be heard. If our needs and wants or voices are not heard, we  feel less of who we are and indeed at times lonely.

 

The same studies showed that those more lonely, with bad relationships with spouse or family and friends, no close person to talk to about their every feel were less happy. They also lived shorter life because in not conversing more, they where more silent which means much of their memories weren't as cemented as those that are in frequent conversations. Those that felt and were more happier were the ones who were less lonely. Having strong and better relationships with our families and friends can help us have better and happier lives and yes, it means we have to be willing to be vulnerable and voice out our feelings even when they are embarrassing. 

 

Doing what we love is another thing that can make us happy. Working on being happy takes time. It doesn’t happen at a go. But it is worth it. We are all here living as we die slowly. 

 

What makes you happy? What do you do to feel happy? What do you know about happiness?