happiness
Purpose And The Pursuit Of
Happiness
What is happiness? How do you
get more of it? A good part of the satisfaction in our lives will come
from our sense of purpose.
Many of us are so busy that we take almost
no time to consider the purpose of our lives. However, you can ignore
purpose only at the expense of your own satisfaction with the quality of
your life.
Adulthood has only a few main games. There are only three areas we must
focus on to get the most out of life. And one of those areas can be called
the Great Game of Significance. We each have to figure out how to live a
life that has meaning and value for ourselves and/or others.
Life itself makes us play the Great Game of Significance. You can be winning
at the games of money and relationship, with a nice family and a nice bank
account. But if you have ignored the game of significance, you will end up
feeling empty or like something's missing inside.
People then often try to anesthetize the feeling of emptiness by drinking or
shopping or overeating. They are trying to relieve the pain of
meaninglessness and emptiness that is gnawing at them. Pain, however, is a
teacher. Emptiness is nature's way of saying pay attention to your purpose.
Generally, people are trained to think that life is about money and
relationship. Fame and fortune. But these are just two of the three great
games. Valuable, but incomplete. You can't ignore significance and paying
attention to what will give your life meaning.
But the Great Game of Significance cannot be ignored. If you aren't winning
at it, life will let you know by feelings of boredom, ennui,
dissatisfaction, emptiness. You may question your self-worth. You may not be
happy with toys and activities that used to please you. This is just Life
letting you know you need to pay attention to living a life with purpose.
So what is your purpose? What gives life meaning and richness? What is
satisfying at a deep level? There is no one answer. Each of us must discover
our own answers. And it isn't hard to do at all. Just a little focus can pay
off with lots of purpose. Two places to look are being of service in some
way. Giving back. Another is following your passions. Finding and spending
time on your passions.
There's much more to this issue, but it is worth spending some time on now,
rather than waiting for emptiness to knock on your door. Developing your own
sense of significance as you go through life will pay off in greater
satisfaction and well being.
Pursuit of Happiness Reflections:
What do you think your purpose is?
In what ways are you expressing your
purpose, if you have one?
Go here for a free course on a
number of insights that can add to the quality of
your life. And it just could be that any insights that add
to the quality of your life amount to a kind of happiness that is most
fulfilling.
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