Thread by @shawnmichael98

Happiness is hard to keep.

"Only a third of Americans say they are completely happy." Arthur Brooks once said.

Can we capture and keep happiness by simply living a good life?

Let me show you 3 key elements I have found for keeping your life happy.

The renowned social scientist and prolific author Arthur Brooks states that there are three main macronutrients to happiness. These nutrients must be balanced and also be in abundance to work in synchronicity. @arthurbrooks

If they are not then the balance is tilted rendering it ineffective.

Let's get to the first key ingredient.

1. Enjoyment-Enjoyment plus connection with people is key. The happiest people in their 80s developed the most connections.

Human beings that have the most joy also set aside time for fun. They prioritize it as part of their schedule.

A good solution to develop and analyze the amount of joy you have is by using a 24-hour journal. Journal throughout your entire day the moments that brought you joy.

People assume fun is frivolous instead of essential. Quite the opposite is true. Setting aside time for joyous moments actually has been proven to increase productivity in their job. Again, applying a balance is key.

2. Satisfaction-We become addicted to success. Satisfaction is achieved, celebrated, and then fades away. This is the concept of The Hedonic Treadmill. Chasing the supernova life event or groundbreaking accomplishment only leads to a stronger hunger for satisfaction.

Humans take for granted what they already have.
We exude a tremendous amount of energy striving for perfection. This is what is called a maximizer. Until the maximizer conforms to a satisfied mindset this person will always be unhappy.

3. Purpose-Meaning. People always remember the tragedies and significant life events when asked about what brings them purpose. Embrace the feelings of sadness or displacement. Feelings are actually nuetral and dont hold a negative or positive connatation.

Feelings are like a compass. They are the messages that tell us about the direction we need to go regarding purpose and meaning.

For instance, if you feel sad then ask yourself what is not working? Anxious? What is causing that anxiety in your life? Feelings will tell you what is important and deserve your attention.

Bonus. Humans should be grateful for our experiences. Inherently, life is designed in that there will be times of struggle which is the essence of how we are able to better understand ourselves.

One important thing to remember is that you cannot mute your pain and still experience the joy. It is a symbiotic relationship. All of us will experience pain. What we can do is lessen the suffering that we can create for ourselves.

Summation.
The three keys to building happiness are
1. Enjoyment
2. Satisfaction
3. Purpose

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this material please follow @shawnmichael98

You can also subscribe to my medium page where I wrote a relevant
article about creating peace.
medium.com/illumination/1…