Here’s something interesting I recently read about happiness.
About a year after winning the lottery, the person who won the money will come down from all the hoopla and experience, roughly, the same level of happiness they were experiencing before they won the money. One year.
Subsequently, if you were to lose both your legs, you’d be depressed and unhappy, but eventually you’d get your happiness back at your “pre-leg” levels.
I find the whole idea extremely interesting, especially the part about losing one’s legs. We often hear about lottery winners and the extremely wealthy being no happier or better off than non-winners. Maybe, in extreme examples of pain and despair, it could have the same result.
Of course, being blessed and fortunate to have both my arms and legs, I’m not willing to say if this is particularly true. I can’t imagine what that would be like.
But…
Here’s the thing. You’re happiness level here and now, at this very moment, might be the best it’s ever going to get.
The key is, are you allowing yourself to see the beauty in the present moment – not something down the road, or tomorrow, or next year, but now?
Remember when we were kids and we could spend hours not worrying about time, or looking at the clouds, or splashing in the water, or playing with our toys. It’s that sense of contentment we need to get back.
Many of us are trapped on the hamster wheel, chasing something that’s always just around the corner. We never seem to actually get around the corner. Maybe instead of chasing, you could simply stop, get off the hamster wheel, and start seeing things a little differently.
Imagine if this was your peak moment, here and now. Nothing more or less was going to make you any happier then you are now. What would you do differently?
What would you change?
