The Future of your Happiness
By Javier MunozPosted on: March 28, 2011
5 comments so far (is that a lot?)
Happiness, play, fun, success, growth, wealth are only a few of the words that are now subject to change their current meaning as we question their value attributes in the ongoing paradigm shift. Happiness will be redefined as humanity rediscovers its most fundamental meaning.
The western concept of Happiness is inextricably connected to a phrase that has shaped the motivation of many people, not only in the United States:
“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”
Wikipedia describes this phrase as:
“… one of the most famous phrases in the United States Declaration of Independence and considered by some as part of one of the most well crafted, influential sentences in the history of the English language. These three aspects are listed among the “unalienable rights” or sovereign rights of man.
The meaning of this phrase is deeply engraved in our collective consciousness. So much so that it is considered an unalienable right and essencial to personal wellbeing. It would be almost impossible to challenge it, and even harder to change our conditioning to its meaning. Questioning such an important pilar of western society could even be deemed unpatriotic.
I contend that the only way for humanity to evolve is to question its very foundations regularly. Now days, the irreversible ongoing paradigm shift is pushing us to reconsider the meaning of Happiness and test it against what will undoubtedly become a new world order.
The pursuit of happiness sets you in a quest to look for something that is out there, out of reach, and difficult to get. It seems to mean that every one starts unhappy, but has the right to become happy upon possession of outward things. With the rise of the relatively new field of positive psychology we now know Happiness is a state of being rather than a joyful state of getting. What would we feel about Happiness if that famous phrase had been written simply like this?
“Life, Liberty and Being Happy”
The future of your happiness entails values and habits that seem progressive, but in most cases, we are actually recovering them from our past. So, what is the future of your Happiness about?
It is about BEING YOUR GURU
Long term happiness is about awakeneing and expressing the guru you have within. Being your guru entails acknowledging your unique gift to give while realizing your resilience even in the midst of adversity as you experience the intrinsic rewards of engaging fully in highly meaningful work from this blissful state of being.
Future challenges will require your highest creativity that can only be expressed from this state of being. Most job positions entailing rigid rules and mindless repetition from the isolation of cubicles are being substituted by dynamic jobs that will call for the emergence of your unique natural combination of qualities.
Shawn Achor, the author of The Happiness Advantage and former Head Teaching Fellow for “Positive Psychology” in Harvard University, published an article recently stating this:
Happiness is the single greatest competitive advantage in the modern economy. Only 25% of your job successes are predicted based upon intelligence and technical skills, though we spend most of our education and most companies hire based upon this category. The “silent 75%” of long-term job success is based upon your ability to positively adapt to the world: optimism, social support creation, and viewing stress as a challenge instead of as a threat.
Your happy BEING will be your input and not what you get from your efforts! So instead of working to be happy, you will bring your happiness to work. Investing in awakening your Guru is your highest responsibility and not just a personal ideal.
It is about PLAYING TO MAKE IT REAL
Those of you that have been following this blog know already that Just Action is a game for personal transformation, and I make no appologies for using the term “game”. I could have called it a system, a program, a process… but it really is a game. There is ample evidence, not only from my findings, but from many other researchers that gamification of your daily activities, even if they are serious work, will increase your performance and be more satisfying. When playing games, you will more likely reach the optimal experience of flow, and enjoy its intrinsic rewards. In my previous post titled How can a Game Change your World? I show a number of examples of how game mechanics are being implemented in many daily activities at home and at work to bring joyful value creation into your real life.
It is about SHARING
One of the most significant ongoing trends is the massive mainstream adoption of Web 2.0 applications and Social Media by hundreds of millions of people in the world. What are we all doing with it? We are acting the way we used to in small town plazas in the medieval ages. We are meeting people, exchanging stories, buying and selling goods and services, supporting causes, starting revolutions, building bonds, communicating, and sharing… from cars, to office space, travel accommodations, textbooks, kids clothes, parking spaces, garden plots, camera lenses, luxury handbags, household items, and more.
Paradoxically, collaborative community engagement was lost with the advent of industrialization, but now the ability to transcend borders, time, and space has reawakened our social collaborative nature. Research in the field of positive psychology has found that we are happier when we belong to a group that meets regularly to share and collaborate. Given the shortage of material and energy resources, sharing is quickly becoming a necessary lifestyle, and we will all be happier beings! For more visit Shareable a great site on the Sharing Lifestyle.
It is about SUSTAINABILITY
The last three points converge into Sustainable Happiness: Happiness that is experienced long term through ups and downs and which means are in harmony with the earth´s resources. Studies have shown that the attainment of what society has called success, in terms of money, fame, or recognition is only going to provide a temporary sense of joy. Material objects such a new house or a new car, or the latest iPhone will only be satisfying for a while, but never become the foundations for a continued sense of happiness if other intrinsic rewards are not part of your experience. Being and playing from your guru within while sharing with others the valuable product of your hardwork will provide you with these intrinsic rewards. The future of your happiness is effortless even if there is hard work involved.
The future of your Happiness is not about:
It is not about the FUTURE
It is not about PURSUING
It is not about GETTING
March 29th, 2011 at 14:38
I’m beginning to expect the level of brilliance your blog postings offer, and this post is definitely operating in that zone. Your point is expressed wonderfully, and complemented with excellent linked resources.
Let us cease ‘the pursuit,’ and begin aligning with Vibrational Energies of Attraction, and Play in The Field(s) of Joy and Happiness, where Authentic Success resides.
It is Guidance such as this which makes Just Action so Transformationally Empowering. Well Shared!
March 29th, 2011 at 15:51
Hi Joe! I am happy that it resonated!
March 30th, 2011 at 12:55
Two days ago, the phrase “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” for some reason popped into my head. I thought, “pursuit”? what a struggle.
“Being” No effort.
And today I read THIS!
Thanks Javier.
March 31st, 2011 at 12:17
Hi Portia, this phrase has always puzzled me. I understand that writing simply “life, liberty and being happy” may have sounded not too sophisticated, however throwing the word “pursuit” has probably misslead many generations of humans into a false belief that has been discovered by those that in fact reach the much desired pinacle of what this society thinks is success – if at all… We must be brave to question these ideas while realizing that our true essence is defined by our bravery to do so and not by a statement that has lost its relevance today.
April 5th, 2011 at 03:30
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