You’re having a bad day. You feel detached from the world.
Your belly gurgles with malaise. Your heart is a block of ice.
Relax! There is hope!
I’m embarrassed to say it took me over 30 years to figure out how to live a happy life. Of course, it would be more embarrassing if I had never figured it out!
The secret formula for a happy life is a combination of four simple actions. Here they are—
Appreciate.
This is the easiest way to brighten a gloomy day. It doesn’t matter if you’re hiding under the covers in bed, standing on a bus, or lying on a gurney in the hospital… there is always something to appreciate.
A chirping bird. A swirling cloud. That shimmering blue scarf on the woman across the street. Simple things.
A piece of music. An incredible meal. A not-so incredible meal that at least keeps you from going hungry.
Your health. A friend’s health. The deep vibration of that bearded fellow’s voice as he orders coffee.
A warm shower. Pulling up your socks. Filling up the gas tank.
Taking a deep breath. A really deep breath.
It is a fact of life that we often work so hard to gain more that we overlook how much we already have. Slow down and let the wonders of the world catch up to you.
Learn.
When the wonders of the world do reveal themselves, the desire to investigate them on a deeper level is only natural. Adults sometimes joke about children being annoying when they keep asking WHY WHY WHY. But the real question is, why do we stop asking questions?
Why is a rainbow one large arc instead of a million tiny arcs?
How can this handful of plastic and metal called a cellphone carry my voice into space and around the world in just seconds?
Why doesn’t the ink spill out of the end of this pen?
How does the engine in my car work? No, really—I have no idea.
We live in the information age. Finding the answers to life’s riddles has never been easier. Ask more questions.
Even without the internet, you can welcome new ideas and information all day, every day. Consider this–
Every place you go is a classroom and everyone you meet is a teacher.
Observe how the squirrels interact with one another in the park.
Ask a stranger if he has the time, even when you already know it.
Stare into a sewer grating and contemplate the unseen world lurking beneath you.
Roll a french fry between your fingers and imagine each step of a potato’s journey to frydom.
Listen to a conversation at a nearby table.
Take a clock apart and literally see what makes it tick.
We all love solving puzzles, feeling smarter, and discovering something new. Don’t let a day end without giving at least one new idea the chance to tickle your brain.
Create.
Making something out of nothing is the closest we will ever come to being a god.
Paint something. Write something. Sing something.
It’s not about being good. It’s about exercising your unique capabilities and expressing your unique point of view.
Make up a dance move. Chop up your own salsa.
Join two things that don’t belong together. Then add something else.
Brainstorm a new business idea. Or a new way to let a friend know you care.
Creating is powerful medicine. You may not be able to shape the world out there to your liking, but you can shape your inner world in any manner you please.
Play god every chance you get.
Share.
Talk about it. Write about it.
Buy an extra ticket for a friend.
Join a club. Start a club.
Ultimately, everything you appreciate, learn, and create is brought to its fullest glory the moment you share it with someone else. You might share your discoveries with one person or a million—it doesn’t matter.
But make no mistake—sharing what you have, and being open to appreciate and learn from what others have to share with you, is living at its finest. And happiest.
The Cycle of Happiness
The beautiful part of this formula is that each of the four actions is powerful enough on its own to make any gray day better. In fact, you could build an entire lifestyle around any one of them. But in my experience, each action feeds into the others quite effortlessly.
When you appreciate something, you want to learn more about it.
When you learn how something works, you want to create something of your own.
When you feel limited in what you can create, you want to learn new skills.
When you share something with someone, they want to share something with you. When someone shares something with you, you will likely appreciate and learn something new, which then leads to creating and sharing something new…
…and so on and so on till the day you die. If you so choose.
So, there you have it. The four pillars of happiness. The secret formula for a happy life.
The truth is you knew it all along. It’s natural. As children, we allowed ourselves to be fascinated, to ask questions, to experiment, to create, and to share with reckless abandon.
Unfortunately, once the pressures of schooling, achievement, and conforming to the norm set in, the formula for a happy life often got boxed up and stored in the basement of our soul.
The good news is the formula still works. The better news is you can dust it off and apply it again anytime.
Today.
Right now.
Beautiful article! I love this line, “You might share your discoveries with one person or a million. It doesn’t matter.”
Pure wisdom, Sensei. Thank you!
I “appreciated” your inspired formula and “found my smile” just reading it!
In the endless search for the meaning of life I once read that the SECRET to life was to find your gift and the MEANING of life was to give it away. It would seem that you have found both!!!!! Congrats!!! Hope it’s contagious 🙂
Achoo! Yep. Highly contagious. 🙂