Is there more to life than being happy?

Hello! guys. Today’s post is going to be personal and very inspiring hopefully. Before you start reading, follow me on twitter and Instagram and also subscribe for more updates.

I would like to start by saying that the journey to true happiness and good health is a process that needs resilience and endurance because at some point you would loose track. But the question we should really ask ourselves is “is there really more to life than being happy”? I find this question really engaging and interesting because some of us go through the wrong direction when it comes to being happy.

Back to the question “is there more to life than being happy.” Yes! there is. Before we begin, I would like for you to watch the video that I would be uploading. This post is a summary of the video. The “more to life” is MEANING. Meaning is another form of true happiness.

Meaning

Chasing happiness can make people unhappy. Suicide rate is rising in the world and it has suddenly reached a 30% high in America. More than one in five Americans would report that they’re lonely.

Having a meaningful life doesn’t mean having the perfect family, perfect job, good grades etc. It simply means discovering your true self. In discovering yourself, you find true happiness.

There are four pillars of a meaningful life according to Emily Esfahani Smith:

1. Belonging: this means creating meaningful and fulfilling relationships with family and friends. According to a study, what makes a person happy is not fame or wealth, but the meaningful and fulfilling relationships we make. People who are connected to good friends are happy, physically healthier, and live longer.

It’s not just the number of friends you have or how committed you are in a relationship, but the quality of these relationships that contribute to our happiness.

Living in the midst of conflict is really bad for our health. Good relationships seem to buffer us from the slings and arrows of aging and good relationships don’t just protect our body, they also protect our brains. Belonging springs from love.

2. Purpose: Purpose doesn’t necessarily mean becoming the architect or artist you want to be. It encompasses all that. Purpose mostly means how you are using or have used your strength to serve others. Purpose gives you something to live for. I want you to ponder on this question “What do you do, see, dream, or who is that person that drives you or gives you something to live for”?

3. Transcendence: Transcendence is when you’re lifted above the hustle and bustle of life. From what I understand, transcendence means living in your own reality and nobody else’s. The question here is “what is that one thing that makes you loose track of time, that thing that makes you happy”?

4. Story telling: Your life is a story. Every single events that takes place makes up the pages, chapters of a book. You can edit your story. Story telling, in my own word,s makes you feel good about yourself. It gives people the opportunity to know that their not the only people in the world that have problems. And because of that, they can turn something that they feel is bad into something good.

Twitter: @KofoAfolabi_, @kofo_afolabi_

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Happy new month!

#livelifewithmeaning