It’s as simple as this:
‘The secret of happiness lies not in the acquisition of more… But in developing the capacity to enjoy what is.’
…or if you want a little more detail…
Happiness = P + (5xE) + (3xH)
Just to explain, P stands for Personal Characteristics, including outlook on life, adaptability and resilience.
E stands for Existence and relates to health, financial stability and friendships.
And H represents Higher Order Needs, and covers self-esteem, expectations, ambitions and sense of humour.
Sound complicated? Read on it’s not that bad…
The equation may not be that easy for most people to understand. But it’s based on a series of simple questions that follow…
1. Are you outgoing, energetic, flexible and open to change?
2. Do you have a positive outlook, bounce back quickly from setbacks and feel that you are in control of your life?
3. Are your basic life needs met, in relation to personal health, finance, safety, freedom of choice and sense of community?
4. Can you call on the support of people close to you, immerse yourself in what you are doing, meet your expectations and engage in activities that give you a sense of purpose?
Working out the answer
The questions should be answered on a scale of one to ten, where one is “not at all” and ten is “to a large extent”
Add the scores for question one and two together to find your P value.
The score for question 3 is the value for E, and question 4 for H
Rating
Each person who completes the questions ends up with a rating out of 100. The higher the score, the more happy they are. Most people probably don’t know what happiness is, they think happiness is perhaps having lots of money or a big car, or a big house. But people who have all these things are not necessarily happier than people who just enjoy their life.
It’s said us British are expert at making ourselves unhappy by focusing on negative things. We tend to be very obsessed with what is wrong, what is missing and what we have not got, rather than focusing on what we want and getting it. It would be nice to just enjoy your life, because after all… life is short. We can all be happy in a heartbeat if we make the decision to be so.
