You know you are on the right track in life when you become disinterested in looking back, and eager to take the next step.
Think about that for a moment, and ask yourself: What does my happiness feel like?
Over the years, Marc and I have asked you to join us in examining the relationship between happiness and hardship. Hardship feels easy to define – a season of financial struggle, a time of personal loss, a period of life marked by tragedies – as the source of ongoing frustration in our lives. But happiness? What exactly is the emotion we call happiness and why do we crave it so badly?
When trying to define happiness, it’s tempting to adopt the “I’ll know it when I see it” mindset. I have no doubt that you will – but Marc and I challenge you to dig a bit deeper. Take just a moment to write down 2–3 specific action steps that you know make you feel happy.
These are what I have written down. For me, my happiness comes from time spent with my loved ones and on the work I deem important. Spending quality, uninterrupted time with Marc and our son Mac brings me great joy. I also find that I am flush with happiness after I’ve conquered a long blog post or read a heartfelt email from a long-time reader.
But here’s the real secret to happiness: what makes me happy may not make you happy. Perhaps your true happiness comes in the silence of an afternoon of meditation, or maybe you find happiness at the end of a long hike up a mountain. Where you find joy is not as important as understanding how [Read more…]