Happiness Does Not Hinge on Success
In the pursuit of happiness, many seek success as defined by societal standards - professional climb, financial stability, or material possessions. However, a growing body of research suggests that sustainable happiness lies in a different direction.
Understanding success as progress towards self-actualization, rather than societal standards, can sustainably nurture happiness. This approach fosters emotional growth, solid relationships, self-awareness, and a sense of meaning, which are key to lasting happiness.
One such example is Elizabeth, a rising executive who found sustainable happiness not through persistent professional climbing but by teaching needy kids, forming trust-based connections with people of opposing ideologies, and reconnecting with her forsaken artistic passion.
Objectively life-changing successes fail to deliver enduring happiness due to unmet subconscious expectations and externally reinforced conditioning. This highlights the importance of intrinsic motivations in cultivating happiness.
Intrinsic motivations are derived from personal satisfaction and interest rather than external rewards. Mindfulness and savoring life, self-acceptance and self-compassion, engaging in flow activities, practising gratitude and optimism, and emotional regulation are some strategies to cultivate happiness through intrinsic motivations.
Mindfulness, for instance, helps observe thoughts and emotions with non-judgment, fostering self-awareness for making life choices aligned with personal needs rather than misguided societal conditioning.
Emotional growth is another crucial aspect of sustainable happiness. Building meaningful connections, taking care of physical health, discovering signature strengths, and regulating emotions effectively are some strategies to foster emotional growth.
Social connection is crucial for a healthy being. Nurturing existing close relationships and even transcending surface-level bonds with strangers fosters happiness sustainably.
In conclusion, genuine long-term happiness does not arise solely from a notch count of achievements but through nourishing intrinsic needs like meaningful bonds, ethical alignment, and learning positive qualities. By pursuing excellence as per one's changing yardsticks of growth instead of societal markers, sustainable contentment becomes possible regardless of recognition attained by traditional metrics.
Happiness, defined as enduring contentment, abundant positive emotions, and freedom from constant dissatisfaction, arises from within and through intrinsic motivations. Achieving milestones like professional success, financial stability, or material possessions does not guarantee long-lasting contentment. Reorienting priorities towards emotional growth and community can sustainably cultivate inner peace regardless of external circumstances.
[1] Brown, K. W. (2003). Positive Psychology. American Psychologist, 58(1), 4–14. [2] Fredrickson, B. L. (2013). Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive. Simon & Schuster. [3] Lyubomirsky, S. (2011). The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want. Penguin. [4] Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation: Conceptual foundations. Journal of Perspective in Psychological Science, 1(1), 5-22. [5] Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5-14.
- Elizabeth, a rising executive, found sustainable happiness not through persistent professional climbing but by teaching needy kids, forming trust-based connections with people of opposing ideologies, and reconnecting with her forsaken artistic passion, demonstrating that true happiness comes from personal growth, emotional development, and meaningful relationships, rather than solely from societal standards such as career development or job search.
- While objectively life-changing successes fail to deliver enduring happiness due to unmet subconscious expectations and externally reinforced conditioning, intrinsic motivations like mindfulness, self-acceptance, practicing gratitude, and emotional regulation can help cultivate happiness by focusing on personal satisfaction and interest, rather than external rewards.
- Building meaningful connections, taking care of physical health, discovering signature strengths, and regulating emotions effectively are some strategies to foster emotional growth, which is a key aspect of sustainable happiness, as indicated by Brown, Fredrickson, Lyubomirsky, Gross, and Seligman in their respective works on positive psychology.
- Nurturing existing close relationships and transcending surface-level bonds with strangers, as Elizabeth did, fosters happiness sustainably, proving that social connection is crucial for a healthy being and an essential element of long-term happiness.
- In conclusion, to cultivate sustainable contentment, one should reorient priorities towards intrinsic needs like emotional growth, community, and learning positive qualities, as opposed to focusing solely on societal markers such as goal-setting, skills-training, or financial stability, as doing so can lead to inner peace regardless of external circumstances.
