What is happiness? Well isn’t that the billion dollar question?! Since the beginning of time, people have been trying to figure this out. In recent years, researchers have studied people to explore what makes them happy.
What they found is that happiness is not a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that you can pursue or find. You have to practice happiness! There is no magic pill or quick way to get to authentic happiness.
There are three types of happiness according to Dr. Martin Seligman:
- Pleasure and Gratification: This is the get happy quick method with instant gratification and pleasure. You can do this by spending money, eating sinful foods, or drinking alcohol. The bad news is that this feeling of happiness doesn’t last long!
- An embodiment of Strengths and Virtues: This next type of happiness has no shortcuts and requires that you know what makes you amazing! It is all about engagement and flow with your greatest strengths. And of course, this requires effort and some self-discovery.
- Meaning and Purpose: And this last type of happiness is the mecca of all happiness. It is the thing that many of us strive for…meaning and purpose! This is the ability to use your greatest strengths and talents on something that is bigger than you. There are absolutely no shortcuts to this path. The amazing news is that once you have reached this level of happiness, it is long-lasting.
Final Happy Thoughts
Happiness is a practice and I can’t say this enough: “it takes effort.” Many people are good at getting the first type of happiness through instant gratification. The last two types of happiness take more time and have the biggest rewards.
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The Comments
Minedith Moons- Ruth
Maribel, thank you for your inspiring blog posts! You are such a loving and giving coach. Thank you for keeping me accountable!