I have a long time mentee asked me, “How can we keep a happy life on a daily basis?”
Obviously this question has bothered her for a long while.
I don’t have answer for her.
To me, I would ask me a different question, “How can I keep feeling content each day?”
“Happy” is a good word. Feel happy is a good feeling. But your happiness is different from mine. Therefore, happy is a vague word to measure our daily life.
However, when we talk about content, we have something in common. We all pursue satisfaction, growth, safety and security, love…
We pursue a career that can fulfill our ambition. We want to have a partner loves us, understands us and supports us. We want to have steady income for our living security. We want to have an environment that provides us safety and life quality.
To keep us feeling content is a mentality. A mentality that lets us feel we are alive, not bored.
We are exited when we are dating, when we get a new job or a promotion, when we move to a new place, when we meet new friends… We sometimes call these happy time – peak moments.
And you can’t have these moment s all the time, very often.
So the big challenge is how to keep content after the peak moments?
Habit expert James Clear asked one of his coaches about what makes the top performers different from the rest of us. The coach said genetics, luck, talent, and added that at some point, it comes down to who can handle the boredom of doing the same thing over and over and over…
Anyone can work hard when they feel motivated. However, it’s ability to keep going when work isn’t exciting that makes the difference. And this may not make you happy, it may let you feel content for what you do.
This is the dividing line between a professional and an amateur.
Happy every day may not be your goal. Happiness is a consequence of your being after your doing.
WE-FIVE 