Lesson
36
ACHIEVING HAPPINESS-1
Quotes:
Happiness, a state of joy, pleasure, goodness, or satisfaction.
A lifetime of happiness: no man alive could bear it: it would be hell on earth.
George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950) Irish playwright.
Happiness is not best achieved by those who seek it directly.
Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970) British philosopher and mathematician.
There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest
of mankind achieve the second.
Logan Pearsall Smith (1865 - 1946) U.S.-born British writer.
Finding happiness and enhancing your personal life
This lecture takes an overview of the major issues involved in leading an enriched personal life, with an
emphasis on the pursuit of happiness and achieving a good relationship between business partners and life
partners. A lot of research is being conducted on happiness. According to a research Denmark is the top
happiest country. Germany is the second happiest country.
1. Achieving happiness
Research and opinion about happiness indicate that people can take concrete steps to achieve happiness.
Planning for happiness is possible because it appears to be somewhat under people’s control. Many
researchers consider happiness to be a natural human condition.
Lyken observes that those genes that combine to produce a happy person were favored by natural selection.
The spheres of life and happiness
Happiness is a by-product of having the various components of life working in harmony and synchrony.
The various components of life must spin together like 6 gears. The components for many people would
be:
(1) Work and career,
(2) Interpersonal life including loved ones,
(3) Physical and mental health,
(4) Financial health,
(5) Interests and pastimes, and
(6) Spiritual life or belief system.
For the long range, a state of happiness is dependent on all six spheres working in harmony. People vary
with how much importance they attach to each sphere of life.
Yet a gross deficiency in any one sphere detracts from happiness.
The key to happiness
Keeping the spheres of life in harmony is one framework for achieving happiness. In addition, a wide range
of opinion and research suggests eleven keys to happiness.
1. Give high priority to the pursuit of happiness.
2. Experience love and friendship, and value relations.
3. Develop a sense of self-esteem.
4. Work hard at what you enjoy and achieve the flow experience.
5. Appreciate the joys of day-to-day living.
6. Be fair, kind, helpful, and trusting of others.
7. Have recreational fun in your life.
8. Learn to cope with grief, disappointment, setbacks, and stress.
9. Live with what you cannot change.
10. Energize yourself through physical fitness.
11. Satisfy your most important values.
12. Lead a meaningful life.
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