I am really interested in happiness...
There was a great article a couple of months ago about it in the NY Times by Jon Gertner, The pursuit of happiness. Basically, the idea is that the things we think will make us happy (that new MP3 player, that new BMW 528) will only bring temporary joy. This is a great article.
I am reminded about how much my thinking changed after reading 'What Should I Do With My Life' (Fast Company Adaptation) by Po Bronson. I have to admit that part of me judged success by the 'things' that I had or wanted. That isn't really the case any more... and I find myself questioning a lot of the stuff in my life... except my MP3 Player... and my Tablet PC... you get the idea.
My question is - how do you define happiness? What makes you happy? Is it work? Have you found a job you love - do you have alignment of your personal and proffesional life?
When I was in college, I took a class that the whole theme of the class was to define Happiness. Of course, the definition started as getting a raise or a new car. After several attempts to define happiness and many lectures on different philosophies, happiness is never defined and you leave the class just as confused as you entered.
It turns out happiness is different for everyone, but one thing should be constant and that is longevity. What will make you happier in the long run? Eating the bowl of Ice Cream or losing the extra 10 pounds and looking and feeling great?
-- Chuck
Posted by: Chuck | January 14, 2004 at 10:03 AM
Chuck,
Great comment! Yeah, I agree, happiness is different for everyone. Interesting point about the short vs. long term thinking!
Thank you!
Jon
Posted by: Jon Strande | January 14, 2004 at 11:06 AM