The Insanity of Happiness

Albert Einstein was once quoted as saying “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Is it not also true then that insanity would be doing different things over and over again and fearing the same result?

Every path in life is different, in part because each of us is different. We change, we grow, we may regress – with every step of the way. Our lives are different moment to moment, so assuming that what once was will be again or that the steps and events that led us to a place in the past are the same that will get us to a similar place in the future is quite simply illogical. In truth, it may or it may not be.

Thus, what once made us happy may not do so in the future. Or in this case, the very fact that we were once unhappy does not mean we will forever be, especially when you consider that things change…we change…life changes…and thus we must accept that – good or bad – the events of the past will not necessarily be the events of the future. After all, we have a choice…one in which we can choose to make a different life for ourselves – the one we see fit to live.

Happiness awaits. Now get to it.

Are You Missing Life? An Article from the Washington Post

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…How many other things are we missing?

Original Article from The Washington Post

Video: Plug Into Your Hard-Wired Happiness

This is a great video featuring Professor Srikumar Rao. He teaches us to be grateful and wants us to meditate, but he isn’t a spiritual teacher. He teaches at some of the world’s top business schools! In his gentle voice, Professor Rao ask us to stop living in a “me centered” world and start living in an “other centered” one.

Part of what he teaches is also incorporated in David Shenk’s book (see post) regarding the perception that high-achievers have vs. those of us who achieve less. Those who achieve greatness immerse themselves and find their value in the process, rather than the outcome of their endeavors. This, according to Professor Rao, is what leads us to a higher level of happiness.

View More Functional Happiness Research Videos

Does Happiness = Initiative? Seth Godin seems to think so.

In Seth Godin’s book, Tribes, he states Happiness = Initiative.

“Products and services…require initiative to produce. You can’t manage your way to initiative.

Creating products and services that are remarkable is fun. Doing work that’s fun is engaging. So not surprisingly, making things that are successful is a great way to spend your time.

There you go: initiative = happiness.”

Is this true? It depends – which is always the case – on what brings you happiness. But in this example, not focusing on products and services but rather activities that produce “remarkable” results (which can quite simply be the experience itself), creating and doing things that are fun and engaging can very much create a state of happiness.

This falls heavily into the Life Passions (and Dreams Goals) part of the Model of Functional Happiness. Life Passions are the areas and activities in our lives that we are passionate about, and greatly depend on the individual. Thus, do the things that you are passionate about, the things that bring you enjoyment purely from the pursuit, the process, the experience and you’ll find a level of happiness that is unparalleled to all the reward-based activities combined. This is heavily supported in Dan Pink’s book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, in which he explores what truly motivates us (a highly recommended read).

So what’s this mean for us? While we can’t spend all of our days doing the things we are passionate about, we should be spending at least part of our days on activities that by the very experience inspire us and promote a state of happiness. What we do each and every day is a choice, one we have complete control over. We can spend a life doing unremarkable things that weigh on our spirits or we can choose to do the activities that add meaning and joy to our days.

Think about what inspires you, what drives you, what makes you want to quit reading this blog post right this minute and do something great. My advice: do it now. Because like Seth Godin said, it’s “a great way to spend your time” and your life.

Can a sock undo Inspiration?

Inspiration can be completely undone by the rigor of daily life, defeated quite easily by as little as a single thought.

In her book The Invitation (inspired by the prose poem), Oriah wrote a stunningly engaging piece about spiritual enlightenment and peace. She recounts how she experienced a great state of enlightenment one morning, a sense of flowing inspiration and overall feeling of connectedness to that which ultimately drives her. It was inspiring and encouraging to read. The climactic end to the event, which was the ultimate undoing of her inspired state, was nothing less than Oriah stepping barefoot on a wet sock left lying by her son on the bathroom floor.

A Sock Undone
Was it the wetness on her foot that caused the undoing of her inspired state? Was it the cold mushiness of a sock that was not put in its proper place? Not at all, for inspiration is not solely deterred by external events. It is instead how we internalize these events that decides whether we live inspired or not. For Oriah, it was everything that the wet sock signified: her son ignoring his responsibility coupled with the associated internal ‘baggage’ of frustration that she experienced. The sock was simply the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.

The Stress of Losing Your Calm
If you’ve ever lost your calm at a seemingly insignificant event, then you know that there’s typically much more at work than what appears on the surface. We all have underlying stress and emotional anguish that we experience, which we may very well be unaware of at the time until it is triggered. This can completely shatter an otherwise perfect state of inspiration and functional happiness.

Stress has a way of creeping up on us. It is a strong inhibitor to our overall happiness. As explained by the Model of Functional Happiness, just being aware of the stress in our lives is a great step forward. The steps we take after that, however, are  the ones that truly determine how much impact it has overall.

So challenge yourself to first determine what is causing stress in your life and then set a goal to eliminate or reduce the impact of one item on your list. You’ll be surprised at how much easier it is to be happy when you are working to eliminate the stress in your life rather than simply enduring it.

For assistance with goal setting, check out the Goal Setting Worksheet in the 2nd START section.

Is there a Gene for Happiness?

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to meet and attend a presentation today by David Shenk, NY Times Bestselling author, who recently published a book entitled The Genius in All of Us. In his presentation, Shenk explained various aspects and myths concerning who we are and how much is determined by genetics. He discussed what is referred to as gene expression in which science has determined that genes are not the sole determining factor in our traits, but rather are a contributing factor.

Shenk went The Genius in All of Uson to explain that those of us who progress in life to possess extraordinary abilities are the ones who push themselves to fail, to find their limits. And as such, it is those who view abilities as developed through a process who then do extraordinary things versus those who view traits as purely genetic luck become less ambitious and do less with their lives.

So how does this relate to functional happiness? It is in this conclusion that science tells us that there is no gene that makes us predisposed to be happy or unhappy because quite simply there is no gene all by itself that makes us anything. Genes influence traits along with environmental factors that occur during development. We can continue to develop for as long as we live, thus traits can be enhanced or diminished.

So if you’re not as happy as you want to be, look at your life, your choices and your perception (all things you can control) rather than blaming your genetics (which you have no control over).

Functional Happiness White Paper Released

RecenFunctional Happiness White Papertly Walking Into the Light released its Functional Happiness White Paper which explains how functional happiness can be applied to our daily lives. It examines how we can use the Model of Functional Happiness to live a richer, more inspired life. Below is an excerpt from the paper:

There has been a great deal of study, research and thought regarding happiness: what it is, why we want it, and how we can have more of it. Yet it can still remain an elusive goal.

The question often arises – Is happiness something that is attained or is it something that we simply are? As this can be determined through philosophical inquiry, a more important question is how do we incorporate and foster happiness in our daily lives?

To find out more, read the Functional Happiness White Paper.

Welcome to Walking Into the Light

Welcome to the Walking Into the Light Blog. We explore the elements of an inspired life, including functional happiness, which lead us along our path from here to there.

So I invite you to take a walk with me, through my life and ultimately your own. For it is my hope that we may meet each other at the end of the road. And if you get there first, I ask that you wait for me. For I may be in need of a good friend to share the day with.