Pursuit of happiness

I've been thinking a lot about what makes me happy and I feel kinda bad about it.

Pondering one's own happiness seems so self-centered. Do people around the world sit and ruminate on what makes them happy, or is this indulgence uniquely American?

On the other side of the world, is there a school teacher in Beirut having a cup of coffee and thinking about what makes her happy? A student in Beijing?

Considering my own happiness is so Oprah Winfrey-ish. Today I googled “Oprah” and “happiness” and I found The Happiness Test. You can rate your happiness, compare your self to others, and get your BHI (Be Happy Index).

Kind of ridiculous, but of course I took the quiz. And the prompts are interesting. For example: I am good at letting go of past hurts and disappointments.

In Psychology 101, we learned about a principle called Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The premise is that you work your way up through a pyramid of basic needs to higher levels of self actualization.

Since my basic needs have been met, I can focus on the higher levels. My pyramid* looks like this (start at the bottom):

If you believe everything you read, the pursuit of happiness is an inalienable right, so I guess it is OK for us to consider this. What makes you happy?

* My apologies to my friends who are graphic artists. I know better than to create this sloppy pyramid, I just don't care enough to polish it up.

Comments

Gabi Kecskes said…

We should all walk around with little tags of these pyramids. Life would be a lot easier if I could hand you a pair of fuzzy slippers to start a conversation.

December 16, 2011 at 10:25 AM

Patrick Lowery said…

What a great idea. I'm going to work on my pyramid.

I've really enjoyed reading your blog, Holly. Please keep it up! My favorite part of this post is the footnote. :-)

December 23, 2011 at 11:56 PM

Therese said…

Love your pyramid, Holly! You're right. Those who don't have peace in their lives or basic needs met aren't spending time thinking about the pursuit of happiness. They're just trying to get through another day.

But nothing wrong with some healthy introspection and exploration as long as we're not whining. That's never attractive...unless it's humorous, then we can whine all we want!

What makes me happy? I like when I realize that it's a little thing, like a baby's smile or laughter. I like knowing that it doesn't take some extraordinary or huge thing to make me happy.

Catching up on your latest posts. Keep up the great work! Love your perspective!

January 6, 2012 at 7:55 PM

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Holly Cusumano

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