I was genuinely excited when I heard that Oprah partnered with a Harvard Professor who teaches a course on happiness to write a book. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and suck up all the knowledge and wisdom these two, incredible people could put together.
The book, “The Art and Science of Getting Happier…Build the Life you Want” is a great read full of interesting studies and the science nuggets that come from them, as well as personal ideas, thoughts, tools and my favorite…a nudge to get out and share…to become the teacher of this great information.
Some key takeaways for me…or my highlighted parts of the book: [there will be MANY posts. There are too many great things to take away]
ME-SEARCH: In the note at the beginning of the book from Arthur, there was a great point that I think anyone who reads, seeks, looks for deeper depths for living, is on an ongoing search & Arthur lovingly called his years of research and seeking…“me-search.” I LOVE that. It is so true. We are all on this life journey seeking the guidance, the stepping stones that get us further, the path that takes us to our hearts desires…every journey, every path, every tutor, every person we connect with, every story, every influence, every book…is me-search.
May we all continue to seek within, to find the deeper depths of who we are, what lights us up, what calls to our hearts, what stirs to be created, what purpose we need to follow. We are each so uniquely given gifts, talents, guidance and we must take the time to unlock the life combinations that lead us to our final destinations.
YIKES. HAPPINESS SLUMP: “Just over the past decade, the percentage of Americans saying they are “not too happy” rose from 10 percent to 24 percent. The percentage of Americans suffering from depression is increasing dramatically, especially among young adults. Meanwhile, the percentage saying they are “very happy” has fallen from 36 percent to 19 percent. These patterns are seen all over the globe too.”
Wow! those stats were crazy and scary to me. Especially for the young adults. I see it all over my daughter’s college campus. Most people don’t smile and connect like they use to. Many are just plugged into AirPods and walk obliviously past others their same age without any type of smile, wave, hello…connection. It is easier. BUT, It is so disconnecting. Young adults are becoming more and more isolated from the real world and getting stuck in unhealthy patterns that are effecting their lives. My daughter’s boyfriend has two roommates and one has not come out of his room for weeks. He has not met one of his roommates because he just stays in his room all day and all night. One of his old room mates would stay in the dorm all day and drink, game and take opioids to avoid being social. There are so many young adults stuck in a variety of bad patterns.
HAPPINESS: What is it? Many people struggle to build happiness because they don’t even know what they are truly looking for. “In the West, happiness is usually defined in terms of excitement and achievement. Meanwhile, in Asia, happiness is most often defined in terms of calm and contentment. Definitions of happiness depend on the word for it.”
“The macronutrients of happiness are enjoyment, satisfaction, and purpose. The first is enjoyment. This might sound like pleasure—“feeling good.” However, this isn’t correct. Pleasure is animal; enjoyment is completely human.” “Pleasure is easier than enjoyment, but it is a mistake to settle for it, because it is fleeting and solitary. All addictions involve pleasure, not enjoyment. To be happier, you should never settle for pleasure, but rather make it into enjoyment.”
“The Second macronutrient of happiness is satisfaction. Its that thrill from accomplishing a goal you worked for…..While satisfaction can bring a huge amount of joy, it is also extremely elusive; you think that meeting a goal will give you permanent satisfaction, but it is, of course temporary…..This is especially true with worldly things like money, power, pleasure, and prestige (or fame).”
“The third macronutrient is the most important: purpose. We can make do without enjoyment for a while, and even without a lot of satisfaction. Without purpose, however, we are utterly lost, because we can’t deal with life’s inevitable puzzles and dilemmas. When we do have a sense of meaning and purpose, we can face life with hope and inner peace.”
UNHAPPINESS IS NECESSARY: “When we are sad or angry about something, we may be more likely to fix it. And that, of course, leads us to be happier in the long run.” “Regret leads to learning.”
Unhappiness helps us with creativity. “Research found that among great composers like Beethoven, a 37 percent increase in sadness led to, on average, one extra major composition. The reason for this is that when people are sad, they focus on the unpleasant parts of their lives. This tends to stimulate a part of the brain called the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, which allows us to focus intensely on other complex problems as well—like writing a business plan, or a book, or a symphony—or to figure out a solution to a complicated life problem.”
That is fascinating how unhappiness helps with creativity. That transforms unhappiness to another level, right!?! To me that shares the deeper understanding that even in the moments that sink or seem to lull in life, there is or can be a greater purpose. We may view unhappiness in a new light.
“IF YOU WANT TO MAKE YOURSELF HAPPIER, YOU ALREADY HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO DO SO, WITHIN YOU, AT ANY MOMENT, AT THIS MOMENT, TODAY.” -Oprah
Well, that is all for now. Get the book. Read it. Highlight your own favorites. Books challenge, change, inspire, guide, direct, lead us to greater depths as beings. We should always be striving to live better and build a better life!!
Peace, Love and light to you today. xoxo -H
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