Digital Essay

Maintaining YOUR Happiness​

I wanted to focus this ‘digital essay’ on the art of being happy, but I realized very quickly how unrealistic it is to write an informative paper on how to be happy. Everyone has different versions of his/her happiness. Some find “true happiness” through relationships while others find “true happiness” through careers. Society creates this pressure of “being happy” by walking up one staircase; however, the reality of it is that happiness is versatile. Therefore, instead of focusing on the “art of happiness,” I want to focus on how to maintain YOUR happiness. Practicing a positive, conscious, and understanding life are three pivotal ways to maintain your form of happiness.

Let’s begin by practicing positivity. According to UW Health in 2013, “We experience positive moments throughout the day – a smile or hug, recognition for a job well done, a laugh with a friend. They might seem like small things, but cumulatively, they can make a big difference” (UW Health). Exactly as UW Health points out, positivity isn’t just the large aspects of life. It is everything and anything in life that makes us feel good. Society creates a false image of what a “happy and positive” person is supposed to be, but being stressed at work, having masses of money, and practicing a career that doesn’t satisfy you is not happiness. Contrary to the mass belief of happiness, practicing a positive lifestyle, through positive self-talk/thinking and other healthy ways, is the main way to maintain a happy lifestyle. According to Mayo Clinic in 2014, “positive thinking often starts with self-talk” (Mayo Clinic). What you say, you become. If you’re going to say you want to feel bad, you will feel bad. On the other hand, if you say you will feel good, you will eventually feel good. Practicing positive living in our daily lives is one main way of maintaining YOUR happiness.

Conscious living is one of the most undervalued/looked aspect of life that remains essential. As humans, we strive for more, desire better, and focus our energy on the future. The future is the future. The present is now. What are you feeling right now? What does your heart tell you in this moment? Let’s focus on those feelings, not the anticipated future ones. According to Matt Killingsworth, a happiness researcher, in his TED Talk video, “Matt Killingsworth: Want to be happier? Stay in the moment,” “as in turns out, people are substantially less happy when their minds are wandering than when they’re not” (TED). Living in the present, with your feelings, thoughts, actions, and words, allows one to consciously live. Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert, psychologists, state, “‘The ability to think about what is not happening is a cognitive achievement that comes at an emotional cost’” (Bradt). Consistently focusing on everything but the present brings uncertainty and hinders one’s ability to maintain his/her happiness. We must live in the moment.

The ability to judge oneself and others proves essential in life. In order to learn from one’s mistakes, one must value his or her previous decisions. One must form judgment on his or her future spouse in order to create a happy marriage; however, humans tend to place this immense amount of judgment on every decision they make. It’s okay to make mistakes. It will be okay in the end. Making mistakes, big or small, is a huge part of life. As I stated earlier, be conscious. Don’t make reckless, harmful, or unloving mistakes in life. But, if you do, that’s okay. Learn from it. Stop overanalyzing every situation and begin DOING. Just take the first step. It might be a mistake, OR it might be one of the best decisions you EVER made in life. Why place an unfathomable amount of judgment on every decision or action you take? Take away the judgment and add the consciousness.

With all of these techniques to maintain happiness, the core value one must have in order to maintain happiness is understanding. Understand that it is okay to not be perfect. Understand that this is a never-ending journey in which we must fulfill. Understand that you will knowingly and unknowingly make mistakes, and that is okay. It is okay to simply be. Be in the moment. Feel your emotions. Express your emotions. Trying to masquerade the truth will result in unwanted feelings of anxiety and confusion. Being content with who YOU ARE in the MOMENT is okay. We don’t have to know the answers all at once, or at all, in order to be happy. We just simply need to strive to understand what works for us.

Unfortunately, happiness just doesn’t appear. Maintaining your perception of happiness takes time, error, frustration, love, acceptance, judgment, and everything that humans deal with in life!!!!! There are many more techniques than what I shared that will guide you in your journey of happiness. The concept of happiness is an overly researched subject, but I want to simplify it. In order to maintain happiness, one must practice a positive, conscience, and understanding lifestyle.