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| Mr. "B. Hound" enjoying the journey |
What's The Idea?
"There is no inherent problem in our desire to escalate our goals, as long as we enjoy the struggle along the way." - Csikszentimihaly, The How of Happiness"Where you headed?" It's one of the most often asked questions in any airline terminal. We're intrigued by destinations. And understandably so. Destinations are important. Ask any traveler, the ultimate goal is to get from point A to point B - the where. But is that all that's important. Can't the journey itself - "How you headed?" - be just as important, if not more important?
So What?
Take a look at Mr. "B. Hound" (pictured above). If you've ever seen a dog in a truck speeding down the highway - head hanging out of window, ears flapping in wind, big doggy smile on face - then you've seen a great example of this "joy in the journey" concept. Mr. "B. Hound" has absolutely no concern about getting to his destination. He's just enjoying the journey.I admit, this is difficult for me. When it comes to enjoying the moment, I drift. I tend to dwell in experiences just on either side of this moment: focused on the past, concerned about the future, and not nearly enough of this present moment. Yet this is the well-spring of happiness. Mr. "B. Hound" seems to instinctively know it: the key to being happy is finding joy in the small stuff; that is, the tail-wagging, ear-flapping small stuff we encounter each day along life's journey.
Now What?
In his studies, psychologist Dr. Fred Bryant reports that too many of us feel unhappy because we tell ourselves that we're too busy to do the things we enjoy. And this is unfortunate, since there are so many related health benefits to doing these enjoyable things. So it's crucial that we make room for enjoying the journey. Dr. Bryant suggests 4 simple things that we can do:- Share a happy memory. Contact a friend and talk about a specific experience you had with them that made you happy. Sharing happy memories and strengthening your social connections is one of the most powerful ways to magnify your feelings of joy.
- Focus your senses. The next time you take a bite of dark chocolate (or any other delectable goody), close your eyes and savor the taste on your tongue. Shutting out some senses, while focusing on others, helps heighten your enjoyment of those positive experiences. And it can even make fleeting happy moments seem to last much longer.
- Consider worse case scenarios. Resist the “grass is greener” mentality and all those upward comparisons, which only make you feel deprived. Instead, think downward - what you have that others don’t, or how your own life used to be worse off than it is now.
- Lose yourself. Laugh out loud to a silly YouTube video or listen to your favorite music in the dark or drive down the highway with your head hanging out of the window! Feelings of happiness are greatest when you're totally immersed in something that brings you joy.
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