As the New Year begins, we tend to reflect on our lives and make resolutions and goals for the coming year. Often these resolutions fall by the wayside within a few weeks. However there are ways to bring fulfillment into your life. It would be nice to lose weight, exercise more and focus on health, however the most important goal is to find happiness. The root of happiness is often found with gratitude. Being grateful is humbling but also empowering. What better way to start the year?
In Arthur C. Brooks’ article “Three Biggest Happiness Rules – A good life isn’t just about getting the details right. Here are some truths that transcend circumstance and time” outlines these three maxims of happiness:
Maxim 1: Mother Nature doesn’t care if you are happy.
Happiness is your responsibility, not Mother Nature’s. That means you need to curtail your worldly appetites, and instead pursue what truly brings enduring happiness: a faith or life philosophy, family relationships, real friendship and meaningful work.
Maxim 2: Lasting happiness comes from habits, not hacks.
We live in a culture of “hacking,” or finding shortcuts. For enduring happiness changes, you need habits, not hacks. Commit to daily practices to strengthen your relationships, deepen your wisdom and uncover meaning in your life. Happiness is a combination of enjoyment, satisfaction and purpose. Improvement in these areas requires commitment and effort, like anything else that is worthwhile. However if you do the work, you will most definitely see substantial results.
Maxim 3: Happiness is love.
The happiest people have lives focused on love – love of family, friends, others (through work that serves others) and in some cases of the divine as well. Research on people who wind up happy (and healthy) as they grow old shows that the most important part of life to cultivate is a series of stable, long-term love relationships. You have a great deal of control over this, because love is a decision and a commitment.
Here’s a handy formula to go by: Happy people love people and use things; unhappy people use people and love things.
Living these ideas raises one of the most important principles of happiness: gratitude, which powerfully improves well-being. So making a habit of using words of gratitude may, in time, make you feel more grateful too. Grateful people tend to use words such as blessed, lucky and fortunate. I appreciate my wellbeing every day and I am lucky to have the opportunity to help my patients regain their health and quality of life. For this I am grateful. What are you grateful for?
