The Happiness Formula

Just like how we sometimes have our sweaters, bed sheets and many other things in life reversed – it’s also happening to our happiness formula. In case you’re wondering what a happiness formula is, it’s exactly what it sounds like – a formula you follow and allow you to feel happier. Let me explain.

This is how we typically think – “I will be so happy when I land that job” or “I’m so miserable at work and I can’t wait till I go on that vacation”. Certainly, setting goals to motivate ourselves is a great thing, but what we’re doing here is delaying when we can feel the happiness, since we’re relying on a future achievement.

While it’s good to work hard and have happiness as a reward,  as Shawn Achor points out in a TED talk series, the reward is fleeting, it only lasts until the goal is raised again. And viewing happiness this way makes it an unreachable destination. What we should do instead, is to find ways and reasons to enjoy ourselves at all times – being happy while working makes us more productive and will certainly lead to more positive outcomes, i.e. that promotion you wanted! Did you know 75 percent of success is predicted by optimism, social support and viewing stress as a positive challenge?

I want to share with you the most powerful statement from the TED talk:

“See what we’re finding is it’s not necessarily the reality that shapes us, but the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality. And if we can change the lens, not only can we change your happiness, we can change every single educational and business outcome at the same time.”

So, do you have your happiness formula backwards?