December 14th, 2007
What do you wish for?
“Beware of what you wish for; you might just receive it.” So goes the old saying. The wisdom is that we don’t always wish for the things that are best for us. We get caught up in material desires, or pride, or performance. There’s a lot of evidence to support that idea. Countless studies have shown how lottery winners are no happier two years after their win than they were before their windfall. There’s also a lot of evidence that suggests we’re not all that sad when we don’t get what we want. Why? The answer to that question is the answer to this one: What makes us truly happy?
Check out psychologist Dan Gilbert on TED for a super interesting look at how we construct happiness. Gilbert suggests that the “synthetic” happiness we create for ourselves is every bit as real and enduring as genuine happiness. I’ll let you decide how you feel about his ideas for yourself. The point I’m trying to make is that we don’t always know if we’re happy, or why we’re happy or conversely, why we’re not so happy. And because of that, we’re often at a loss when we want to make ourselves happier.
inpowr was developed to help people enjoy greater well-being by understanding the relationship between their actions and their well-being. The process is simple. You measure your well-being, work on specific goals, measure your well-being again and then reflect on everything that happened while you were going through the process. That simple act of reflecting on the relationship between your actions and your well-being can be a powerful motivator and a great place to start if you’re trying to figure out what makes you happy.
Positive Psychologist, Dr. Martin Seligman has been studying happiness and well-being for decades. His Authentic Happiness website at the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center has a wealth of resources and measurement tools related to well-being and happiness. Take a peek. It’s an excellent site.
So why all this talk about what makes us happy? Because this year, when the jolly bearded guy asks me what I want for Christmas, I’d really like to come up with something better than power tools.
Best wishes to you.
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émergenceweb : blogue » Blog Archive » Noël une semaine à l’avance : inpowr est lancé sur Sympatico ! on 18 December 2007 pm31 21:45 (#1)