Happiness Formula

Learn from the past.

Enjoy the moment.

Create the future.

Learn from the past – consider what your past has taught you. Our mistakes are opportunities for great learning and catalysts for change, should we choose to view them as such. Consciously strive to regret less and to learn. Accept what is past and understand that the past is memories of a life we are fortunate to have, with valuable lessons for the future.

Enjoy the moment – as much as I am a fan of setting goals, living in perceptions of the future is not a way to happiness. It is a waste of life. If you have trouble appreciating your present, remind yourself of how short life really is, how much time has already passed, think of all the experiences you wish to have. It helps, I think, to have some context of what life is about – a purpose, whatever that is to you. Be present in the moment, be absorbed in what you do, however mundane. Seek pleasure and at the same time, do not be afraid of discomfort or unhappiness.

Create the future – there are lots of cliches – failing to plan is planning to fail, if you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you’ve gotten there? The future is the culmination of the past and the present. Having a vision of your life and seeking to achieve that vision can be tremendously comforting and rewarding, through good times and bad. Do not forget you create your life just as surely regardless of whether you are conscious of it or not.

Setting Goals

Goals are important. They are the destination. Defining your goals is critical to achieving them. It is possible to live life without setting goals, possible to live a great life, even. However, if ever you feel a nagging sense of discontent without knowing why, you may need to set goals. Goals are a direction to head in, but should always be flexible to change in a new direction as needed. Goals help us to work smarter – it’s much more satisfying to work hard when we have a clear idea of what we’re working towards.

Keep the big picture in mind by recording it in a way that is meaningful to you – you could create a poster of photos / drawings / magazine clippings that symbolise what you want your life to look like. You could write your own mission statement and / or a list of objectives. You could write a passage describing your life in five / ten / twenty years. You could record this passage and listen to it every night. You could do all of these things. Do not be afraid to make an imperfect vision. You can change your big picture any time you want. In many ways, the quality of your goals is less important than your having them, and knowing them.

The big picture is not the end of the story though. An understanding of your dreams and desires will go a long way towards helping you to achieve them, but not without effort. You need to break your vision down into smaller goals or objectives. These need to be SMART: specific; measurable; achievable; realistic and time-framed.

There are different areas of life in which goals may be set: career, family, health, financial, spiritual or personal, community, home, friends or social. It is worth taking the time to identify which of these areas are important to you and how much priority each one should be accorded. This helps to quantify how much time and effort to expend on each area and also is more likely to be sustainable and pleasurable in the long-term.

Hello Reader!

Welcome.

This is a spot for me to post not so random ramblings which will hopefully constitute a how-to manual for life. I feel the need for one, so hopefully I can provide myself some guidance and maybe help others along the way.

I’m thinking relevant topics may include time management, finances, health, family, friends, homework, study, career, goals… If you think of something you’d like to write about, let me know. At this point, I plan to write an entry every Monday.

Imagine.