I am happy. I live my dream. I wake up with a smile, go to bed with a smile.
Surprise!
I don’t own a million dollar yacht, I don’t sip drinks on a beach, I don’t go shopping with a wad of cash, and I don’t mingle with celebrities. Why am I grinning toot to tooth all the time then?
Let me tell how I get to have my happiness jar filled all the time. Maybe my secret will help you understand the happiness equation better and contribute to topping up your own joy jar.
The happiness equation
My day is filled with work. Purposeful work that aims at a specific goal: making you healthier.
Before breakfast
- My typical day goes like that: I wake up before sunrise to write an article, and when my brain gets fried, I sit on the sofa, close my eyes and strategize. When I run out of ideas I talk to Andi. He is always full of insights. We brainstorm or yak about politics, economical events, validity of ideas, misconceptions and misrepresentations, and our own behavioral errors.
After a dose of eggs
- After breakfast I go down a long list of tasks, I wrote down in a notebook. I am a notorious list writer. To do lists give me direction. Without a list I would be lost.
Daylight hours
- By the end of the day I may have crossed two or ten items out of forty, depending on the size of the task and my productivity quotient. I get mad at two, but ten usually give me happiness goosebumps.
- My list varies. Sometimes it is full of small items related to web site maintenance or page changes (I don’t like those). Sometimes it has larger (more creative) jobs, like video editing, article research, infographics design, and the most difficult task of all: writing smart posts. These I love!
Sleep time
- I shut down the computer when my eyes get wonked. That may be either 8 or 10 pm. Then I close them and make a mental to-do list for tomorrow. I don’t watch TV, drink to forget, and smoke to relax. This doesn’t even cross my mind. Mindless entertainment and numbing the brain don’t get me closer to my goal: your well-being.
I love my day the way it is. It has direction. It has an aim. It has a purpose. And that’s why I grin all the time.
Happiness is not a random event. Happiness is a by-product of usefulness. To be happy you have to engage in a purposeful existence, and not settle for a mindless survival.
Finding happiness isn’t difficult. It is as easy as finding a purpose in life. What’s yours?
Where do you go from here? But of course!
