International Day of Happiness
March 20 marks the International Day of Happiness. But really, what is happiness?
By definition, happiness can describe feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, contentment, or well-being. There are so many things that can lead to these feelings, and the way each person experiences happiness is different and very personal. But did you know there are two different types of happiness?
The first is happiness IN your life. Being happy about a good mark on a test or a promotion at work are individual events that make us feel satisfied or accomplished. Being happy WITH your life is how you feel overall about your achievements, relationships, and position in life.
What I love about these two separate definitions of happiness means that even if you are in a crummy overall situation, you can still find happiness in individual events. For example, you might be feeling overall stressed and unhappy due to being bullied at school, but you can still enjoy the feeling of success in that exam. From the opposite perspective, you might be happy with your life overall, but really upset when your teenager scratches up your car on the first day they get their licence.
Being aware of these two definitions can teach us to enjoy individual events, and not let current stresses overshadow these specific moments of happiness. Perhaps by focussing on the small joys more regularly, we become more mindful of finding happiness in as many places we can.
