Originally Posted By Japanland I think that a great book on the topic is Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert. His thesis is basically that we are promised happiness all the time if we can just achieve this or get that, but we are in fact no happier after the achieving or getting. The book contains research study after research study supporting this point. (It may be that this "false carrot" in terms of individual happiness gets us to work harder, thereby making our society more productive, better able to survive and, I would argue, may reduce overall suffering due to a reduction of disease, poverty, etc. if the extra work makes society richer.) But, he argues that on an individual level, understanding the futility of this "false carrot" mechanism will probably not help you to become happier because, just like everyone else, you assume that you are special and that winning the lottery, for example, will make you happy, despite empirical evidence based on the experience of others that says it will not. So, most people will go on toiling at things they dislike to achieve some similar goal (say, getting rich) and envying those that have the things they want. But the book made me more accepting of my situation and limitations and did in fact make me more content. I also really like the attitude of Timothy Ferriss (writer of The Four Hour Workweek) towards achieving happiness. He thinks that "happiness can be bought with a bottle of wine and has become ambiguous through overuse." He thinks boredom, not sadness, is the opposite of happiness, and that instead of happiness we should pursue that which excites us (otherwise known as following your "passion" or your "bliss").
Originally Posted By Pixie Glitter Intriguing topic. I support the theory that everyone has a "set point" for happiness. In my experience, most people are basically optimistic or pessimistic, and usually it has nothing to do with their particular circumstances. Think about it. . . haven't we all known people who are happy overall in spite of grim life circumstances, and people who are negative and pessimistic no matter how fortunate they are? Mind you, I do believe (and actually I am living proof of the fact) that you can consciously alter your own "set point." But I do think people are born inherently positive or inherently negative.
Originally Posted By beamerdog >> He thinks boredom, not sadness, is the opposite of happiness, and that instead of happiness we should pursue that which excites us (otherwise known as following your "passion" or your "bliss").<< How does being happy just lying in the sun with your eyes closed fit into this? Not for the purpose of tanning, just relaxing. Not that I sit in the sun anymore, lol, but I do remember the feeling ;-) Sorry, not meaning to be argumentative.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice ^^I think that ranks right up there with sitting in the shade (on a hotel balcony ;-) and just listening to the ocean and watching surfers and others enjoy themselves. The crashing of waves definitely puts me in my happy place, and if I can smell the ocean, too... Ahhhhhhh. I've had some of my happiest moments at works. Just receiving an unexpected, appreciative response from an employee who benefited from something I communicated can really make my day. And when I write a particularly good article and know that people are reading it (Intranet "hits" are tracked), the feeling that what I do is worthwhile to someone means a great deal to me... makes me very happy.
Originally Posted By avromark ^^ Assuming you don't have someone bored in IT who just clicks refresh over and over again. Not that I've ever been guilty.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice *LMAO* Thanks for the confidence booster, avromark! ;-) Honestly, in 2007, I wrote THE most-read Community Service article for that year (we have employees in 18 states). It was a story regarding one of our Las Vegas associates whose husband has served a couple of tours in Iraq with the Nevada National Guard. She's very involved with supporting the families of our local guys while they're away from home, and she participates with a bunch of other local organizations that benefit the less fortunate/homeless, etc. It was a really good story and I loved that she received all kinds of nice feedback on it.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Oh... And the story made the Top 10 Most Read list of all articles written for the entire corporation (20,000+ employees).
Originally Posted By Mary Poppins Good for you wonderingalice. That is neat that you can see how many people read your article.
Originally Posted By beamerdog That's an incredible achievement. And a great topic. You should be happy all over again!
Originally Posted By avromark I'm still surprised that alice hasn't stated happiness is a Mustang. (They're wonderful horses aren't they?) Now of course you've enticed us for that confidential internal article! See what you're doing. The reason I mentioned the hit thing was one of my friends said at her company they had an online survey, and she saw her supervisor spending most of a day entering comments about himself. The things people do.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Thanks Mary Poppins and beamerdog! *LOL* Avromark! We have occasional online opportunities like that, but they're not anonymous. Of course, we do have employee surveys sent to us via e-mail that ARE anonymous (completed on non-company sites), but there's no way to stuff those boxes. Hee hee hee... I'll see what I can do about sharing the story. I'd have to edit somethings out, of course, but if it's not too butchered by then... ;-)
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Okay, here's the edited story. It was accompanied by a photo of my coworker with her "treasure chest" of mementos her husband sent and brought back to her from Iraq - Including an Iraqi-printed can of Coca Cola. Cool stuff. And the fact that she is extremely attractive didn't hurt the hit count. ;-) A smaller "teaser" photo is used as a click-through for all of our Intranet homepage articles. I've written dozens and dozens of articles for work, but this one is my very favorite. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The war in Iraq has affected all of us in many different ways, and (First & Last Name), (Title) for (Company Name) in Nevada, has experienced the effects up close and personal. While her husband, Sgt. (First & Last Name), was deployed in Iraq with 147 of his fellow Nevada Army National Guardsmen from the (Specific Unit) Company from (Date) until (Date), (Last Name) kept herself very busy here at home. She sprang into action even before the unit shipped out, organizing a project to donate 22,000 bottles of water and Gatorade that the men would transport and distribute along with other necessities to our troops stationed in Iraq. Determined to make life easier for the soldiers as well as their families remaining in Nevada, (Last Name)’s efforts took off and continued to gain momentum with every project. As the family support group leader for (Specific Unit), she coordinated the sale of “Support our Troops” T-shirts, magnetic bumper ribbons and wrist bands, which raised funds to purchase groceries to help feed the soldiers’ families. (Last Name) also worked with the Nevada Benefits group, which has helped raised nearly $1 million to benefit families across the country from nearly every branch of the Armed Forces. With the approach of every holiday, (Last Name) enlisted the help of her coworkers and her three sons to create fun care packages to boost the troops’ morale. At Christmastime, she and other support group members worked with local vendors to make the holidays extra special for the children. Each child received a special, wrapped gift from “Daddy” that meant the world to them. Whenever there was a family with extraordinary needs, (Last Name) stepped-up to ensure they received help. At any given time, she could be found loading a rental truck with furniture, clothing, kitchenware, bedding and the simple necessities of life that we all take for granted. (Last Name)’s exceptional volunteer spirit is tireless. Through their church, she and her mother are involved with programs designed to help the homeless get back on their feet. She’s also been a primary advocate and mentor for our Explorer Scout and summer intern programs, teaching the teenaged participants valuable job skills and the importance of giving back to the community. The Explorer group spearheaded a back-to-school backpack and supplies event to benefit students at the (Company Name)-sponsored (Name) Middle School, and assisted our (Department Name) Operations team with food and toy drives during the Christmas holiday season. When asked about her motivation and the impact volunteering has upon her life, (Last Name) said, “There’s nothing more satisfying than helping people who aren’t fortunate to have the same opportunities that we do. I love my job and I am grateful for everything this life has given me, so I feel strongly about making a personal commitment to others. I especially appreciate the influence on my children’s perspective; they truly realize how fortunate we are. Volunteering has brought my entire family closer together and teaches all of us to never take one another or our lives for granted.”
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Just dawned on me that I never responded re: my horsey... *L* And yes... My SpeedyRedCar makes me VERY happy, too! ;-)
Originally Posted By beamerdog wondering, if I read your article here, does it count as another hit? ;-)
Originally Posted By avromark Hey now if we keep on hitting poor wonderingalice the police may charge us with assault!
Originally Posted By avromark Happiness is the simple things in life, making someone smile, appreciating the dew drops. It's also music by the Brady Kids. I can't understand why they still aren't recording Now I volunteered at a place once that didn't appreciate me, wanted it on their terms, their hours, wanted to do a billion checks and supervise. Uh It wasn't anything near as important as Boy Scouts or calling people for donations. It was a community (back in the days when I lived on the wrong side of the track) picnic. Get this for setting up tables. Yeah. A college kid can't set up tables. Didn't earn my degree in it. Now I only volunteer for worthwhile events. People say you shouldn't stereotype but I swear everyone who lives in the Southeast end of my city is a moron. Please people keep to the right of the yellow line. No need to drive the wrong way down the street when only one other car (coming the opposite direction no less) is driving. I wonder why I switched my rentals to the west side
