How to satisfied in life
satisfaction is most common thing in people
Life satisfaction is being happy about your life. It is the happiness that exists when we talk about the past and the big picture
. But being satisfied with your life is something a little different.
Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize winner and author of Thinking, Fast and Slow, gave a TED talk where he explained the two pretty well:
Happiness is being happy in your life. We experience it immediately and in the moment.
Life satisfaction is being happy about your life. It is the happiness that exists when we talk about the past and the big picture.
There’s plenty of information about the former — but what about the latter?
What can we do to not just be happy in the moment, but to feel satisfied with our lives?
Here’s are five things research says can make a difference for you:
Friends
Having more close friendships was associated with a 19 percent greater life satisfaction and a 23 percent greater sense of optimism. – Richburg 1998
In fact, having a better social life can be worth as much as an additional $131,232 a year in terms of life satisfaction.
Like your neighbors? That’s a double digit boost in life satisfaction too.
Positive feelings about neighbors have been found to be associated with a 16 percent greater life satisfaction and a 25 percent lower likelihood of experiencing feelings of loneliness. – Prezza et al. 2001
Why does religion — any religion — make people so much happier?
It’s the friends that a religious community provides. A group of ten supportive friends seems to be the magic number.
After examining studies of more than three thousand adults, Chaeyoon Lin and Robert Putnam found that what religion you practice or however close you feel to God makes no difference in your overall life satisfaction. What matters is the number of friends you have in your religious community. Ten is the magic number; if you have that many, you’ll be happier. Religious people, in other words, are happier because they feel connected to a community of like-minded people.
But it’s not all about what you get from friends; giving is extraordinarily powerful too.
Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.” ~Hyman Schachtel
I have a chime with the words “Desire what you have” painted on the front of it. It hangs from the window to the left of my desk in the treehouse where I write. I bought it a few years ago as an epiphany purchase.
It was one of those times when I was sucked into the vortex of a boutique in Minneapolis, the wallet in my pocket a burning inferno. I saw this beautiful painted chime dangling from the ceiling and I was so struck by the message, I put out the fire out and put my money on the counter.
I am so glad I did.
I love the simple wisdom of the phrase: Desire what you have.
If we desire what we have then no matter what our possessions, we are rich.
I love coming across it again and again because it reminds me to be aware of my thoughts and to be aware of what I have and what I am now. I need to be reminded.
When I sat down to begin writing I was looking for inspiration in The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living. I came across this quote by the Dalai Lama:
“…our moment-to-moment happiness is largely determined by our outlook. In fact, whether we are feeling happy or unhappy at any given moment often has very little to do with our absolute conditions but, rather it is a function of how we perceive our situation, how satisfied we are with what we have.”
I have noticed by listening to my thoughts that I spend a ridiculous amount of time wanting to be more than I am. I rarely, if ever, sit back and bask in my accomplishments and who I am now. I unwittingly live in a state of personal dissatisfaction.
“When I publish my first book, then I will be a writer,” I tell myself. “When my website is perfect, when my teaching is perfect, when I have many articles published in Oprah Magazine, when I am no longer nervous before I begin teaching a new class—then I will feel like I have arrived at my own doorstep.”
Meanwhile, I ignore the person I am right now–my feet up on this couch in the treehouse, my children healthy and vibrant, my dog Dharma curled up next to me, writing this essay–because I have convinced myself that I am not complete. That I have to strain and strive and be better to deserve this blessed life.
I don’t think these things consciously. These thoughts run unsupervised through my head until I take the time to notice them and really hear what I’m saying to myself. And then I realize all of this self-talk is crazy talk.
If I can’t accept myself and what I am now, then I will never accept myself. It’s a way of thinking, of practicing non-acceptance of myself over and over and over.
This is yet another reason I must write. I must have a way to reveal this crazy talk, to call it out for what it is so I can be aware of it and slowly change it.
If I write it, not only have I taken the time to draw it out and contemplate it, I can see it in literal black and white, staring back at me. And when I am able to look my thoughts in the eye and see them for what they are, I can then challenge them.
In the pages of my journal, I sow seeds of change. Some are slow to grow, others just need a little light and attention to take hold and flourish.
It is necessary to be aware of what we want in this life. However, it is a delicate balance that must be tempered by an abiding awareness of what we have.
Life is now. I have arrived at the doorstep of myself. In fact, I’ve been standing here the whole time.
Be creative.
You may think of artists as being moody and depressed, but studies show that engaging in creative activities on a regular basis actually makes you happier. Those who spend time using their imagination and being creative have more enthusiasm and are more likely to have feelings of long-term happiness and well-being. Such creative activities can include writing, painting, drawing and musical performance.
So what do you think how are you satisfying in life?
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