Whether feeling somewhat depressed after personal trauma or the pandemic – or feeling successful with work yet lonely, we all care about finding happiness. But according to Science of People and the 2022 World Happiness Report, the U.S. ranks 16 out of 17 for happiest countries. We are lacking and you are not alone!

Breaking Down the Definition of Happiness

(We are referencing the word authority, Merriam-Webster for this breakdown.)

First, happiness is a state of wellbeing and contentment. 

Wellbeing is the state of being happy, healthy, or prosperous. 

Contentment is defined as feeling or showing satisfaction with one’s possessions, status, or situation.

So wellbeing and happiness are cyclical – they feed off one another – which is why happiness is one of our 7 pillars of wellbeing. It’s also why Emergent Lives considers happiness as joy, fun and fulfillment in your day to day.

Though happiness can mean something different to everyone, two qualifiers are always the same. When you are not finding happiness, it’s important to identify your blocks. 

You are not feeling happy, so ask yourself:

• Am I healthy – enjoying good health or free from disease or not displaying clinical signs of disease or infection? (part of wellbeing)
• Am I prosperous – marked by success or economic wellbeing or enjoying vigorous and healthy growth? (part of wellbeing)
• Am I feeling or showing satisfaction with my possessions, status, or situation (contentment)?

Once you identify your block, you can address it head-on.

Flipping Things Around and Finding Happiness

You will either begin by looking at:

• What can I do to feel healthier?
• How can I feel more successful or like I’m growing?
• How can I feel more satisfied with my possessions, status or situation? Which one of these three is lacking to me?

Notice all of the above are about feeling different. You don’t always have to do more things. Sometimes you just need to do different things (like change your mode of exercise to address your health blocks). Other times you can work on your mindset to think and feel better about your situation or success.

But you can get so wrapped up in the lies you’ve been telling yourself, or in comparing yourself to others, that you can’t get unstuck.

This is why taking care of your entire wellbeing and not just your health and wellness is so important to your happiness.

Finding Happiness with Help from Emergent Lives

Let’s use an example to see how addressing a lack of happiness with Emergent Lives can positively impact your entire wellbeing.

Say for example, you are unhappy because of your work situation. You work hard but feel unappreciated and under-compensated. Let’s look at this issue by applying our 7 circles of wellbeing.

Intellectual: address your mindset with a life coach or add creativity to your job

Physical: change eating or sleeping patterns to improve your mood and energy

Spiritual: use your faith for guidance on whether you should switch jobs or use a spiritual mentor to help you release negative emotions

Financial: look for ways to adjust your budget or to better invest your earnings

Professional: get advice on how to effectively approach your manager or receive help updating your re

sume

Social: identify people you want to spend more time with or who will fill the appreciation gap until your job situation changes

Happiness: find ways to incorporate the things you love into moments of your work day 

These are just a few examples for each circle.

With our approach, you have several paths to improving your work situation instead of none or one – which is likely how you feel. And whichever path you take, you will help elevate your overall wellbeing. 

Ideally, you will tend to your other circles a little at a time, to keep your circle as a circle and not a lopsided “tire gone flat”!

Simple Steps to Finding Happiness Today

Keeping with our example, here are some things you can do today to start feeling happier about your work situation.

• Tell yourself this job is temporary and you can choose another when ready.
• Go out to a healthy lunch with a coworker you like.
• Ask for prayer about your next steps.
• Look at your budget to see if you can better manage it – or if you’re even as bad off as you feel!
• Journal about how you might approach your boss.
• When you get home, do a fun activity with the people or person you love most (distract your mind from work).
• Write down all the things you can be grateful for during your work day and keep that handy for reference.

Again, these are just a few examples of simple changes that can make a big difference.

Just remember, finding happiness can leave you feeling defeated if you’re not taking a holistic, thoughtful approach that addresses your deeply rooted blocks. And when unhappy, it’s hard to clearly see those blocks and determine the right path on your own.

But with help from Emergent Lives, you have access to the resources, providers and community you need. Your personal Steward can help you determine your next best steps. It’s not a cookie-cutter solution. Our solutions are based on real conversations with the goal of helping you find happiness as you see it.

If you would like help finding happiness, schedule your free 15-minute consultation with a Steward today.