this article is for the 16th July
The Key to Happiness
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When asked where I see myself in 10 years, I will say point blankly I don't know; but, what I do know is that I want to be happy. I think a lot of young adults would say this. However, sometimes achieving happiness is harder than you may think.
This year in my AP Language class, my teacher showed us a TED Talk video about happiness and success. In the video, Shawn Achor discusses how we currently have the wrong formula for success. In our society, we are taught that working harder leads to success and then happiness. In the video, Achor says how once one gets good grades he then wants to get better grades. Likewise. with getting accepted into college, once one gets into to a pretty selective school he then wants to get into a more selective school. It's an endless cycle, which is why we are rarely ever content with our lives because we are continuously changing our goals and wanting more.
Yes, it's good to be ambitious, but it is also important to be happy and to not be constantly chasing things hoping they will make us finally feel content. We are always thinking that after we reach a certain point of success then we will be happy. We believed that if we just get one more A+ or if we just get on to one more varsity sports team then we will have what we want and will finally be happy. By doing this we are putting happiness second and hoping that by working harder we will somehow achieve happiness. However, the correct formula is that if we are happy in the first place then we will reach success. The truth is that positivity and happiness lead to success. In other words, you need happiness before you can achieve true success. With a positive mindset we can achieve so much more. A positive mindset is crucial in viewing the world; it determines how we perceive situations and ultimately how we handle them. For example as Achor says, "instead of viewing stress as a threat with a positive mindset one views it as a challenge."
Thinking positively can be harder than one may realize. It definitely may be challenging at first but it pays off in the long run. One great way to keep a positive mindset is on a daily basis to write down three things you are grateful for. By doing this exercise, it teaches your brain to look at the good side of situations before the bad. Another way to keep a positive mindset is through random acts of kindness. Basically, just do nice things for people that maybe you wouldn't normally do.
As summer is coming to an end and school is right around the corner try to remember to look at the bright side of things a little more. Though you may feel overwhelmed and stressed, just take a deep breath and remember it will be okay. Just grab a piece of a paper and write down a few things you are happy and thankful for. Through these simple exercises it is possible to retrain the way your brain thinks about success and happiness. Hopefully, this will create a ripple effect and influence the way the world looks at happiness.
ReplyDeleteI have always thoght that happiness is really important in our lives but people care little. It is true that ones you reach what you were looking for you´ll probably look for something more. This is normally explain with a diagram that shows how you can be happy when you start something. But when you reach that you will be boring and you will try to increase your challenge.
So it is very important not to stay with the same challenge for a long time because at the end you will be frustrated. We shouldn´t let this guide our grades and academical experience.
(The video cannot be watched)
I find this article really interesting. Happiness is essential for us and we need to know how to achieve it. It is true that being ambitious is fine but we also need to be content whith what we have.
ReplyDeleteAs for the idea of writting in a paper the good things I think that it is an interesting activity and maybe I will try to do it.
(I can watch the video)
I also find this article very interesting. It is true that hapiness is so important but how can we get it? In my opinion, all the successfull we get during our live, helps us to be a bit more happy but they don´t give us the full happiness because we are always trying to go further.
ReplyDeleteThe most important thing to be happy is having dear people around you, whose you can count with them and they help you in what you need.
We really need to be happy and the formula to achieve it. Sometimes it is not so easy if we get into the endless circle of the ambition. Being happy in the first place and to keep a positive mindset leads to success.
ReplyDeleteWe have to forget about the stress as a threat and look at it as challenge, end with the overwhelming feelings and write down the things we are happy for while getting a deep breath. This type of exercise will help us in reaching the true formula to happiness.
I totally agree with what the article says, happiness is the key of life and without it we aren't going to fulfill our purposes. Even though we are all different and there is not a formula for happiness, we all can find what makes us happy and spread it throughout other people because we all like having happy people around us. Once we are happy, like the article says, we are going to get better results in our life so everybody should give priority to this good mood.
ReplyDelete