Hunting Happiness, Part 3

Thursday Thought
5/26/2016

Part 1
Part 2

Two weeks ago, I started this series by discussing how happiness is a moving target, how hitting that target shifts over time and therefore your approach to achieving it should change over time as well.

Last week, the primary message was based on not allowing one loss or one bad day deter you from pursuing, achieving, or residing in happiness.

This week, it's time to discuss the sources of happiness and how you should diversify where you acquire those positive vibes and feelings. It's quite a simple concept really, it's similar to a balanced diet.

Remember the old school food pyramid from the 90s? The base was grains and bread, then above that was split between fruits and vegetables, on the third level lived the animal products of meat and dairy, finally up on the top there was sweets and fatty foods to be consumed sparingly. The sources of happiness is very similar to that idea. Let's break them down for their equivalents in sources:

• Grains and breads - personal goals and development
• Fruits and vegetables - mutually beneficial relationships with friends and family members
• Meat and dairy - professional achievement and progression
• Sweets and fats - vices and less-than-healthy activities (consume very rarely or never)

What does this mean for you? 

Your greatest source of happiness should be from you and helping yourself. Create and pursue your own goals. Those tasks can be for physical development such as strength training or endurance challenges, they could be for intellectual enrichment like reading a book, or even it could be based out of small daily tasks like making your bed, cleaning dishes, or putting laundry away. 

Your secondary source of nutritional happiness is encouraged to come from your loved ones. The presence and support of friends and family produces great sources for happiness, positive energy and enables you for self-love. How can you not feel happiness when you cultivate positive relationships with people you love?

As your tertiary happiness producer, it's your professional and career investments. Happiness has been proven to build the basis for career success. When you are able to find happiness elsewhere, finding happiness at work all of a sudden becomes a hell of a lot easier than solely working to achieve goals for happiness. 

Go forth and collect a bounty for your table and dine upon the happiness you find around you. This happiness propels you through the dark days and starry nights, over peaks and through valleys. Happiness is everywhere to be found, all you need to do is reach out for it.