I have the unbeliveable luck of working for a truly fantastic company, and one of the many benefits of working there is that we work closely with renowned positive psychologist Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener. I've learned a lot from his talks, but there's one that continues to stand out to me more than any of the others.
I recently watched his TedxTalk Your Happiest Days are Behind You, and I was really struck by it. As I've mentioned, I love being happy, and it's something I think about a lot. But am I caught in a trap of constantly seeking out future happiness? Is it keeping me from truly absorbing the happiness of the present, or appreciating the happiness of the past?
In this talk, he reminds us that the best source of happiness actually comes from our past. And isn't that true? The future is uncertain to say the least, but I can "drag those experiences from the past into the present" and experience them all over again, and feel just as much joy--and maybe even more!--as I did then.
So today I encourage you to take a moment and live in the past. Maybe it's the moment your now-husband got down on one knee to propose, the moment your firstborn came into the world and screamed those tiny screams as you stared at him in amazement. Or maybe it's as simple as a clear summer evening, spent wallowing on a sun-soaked porch with your closest friends, crickets singing in the background.
If you ever find yourself thinking, "I wish I were happier," I challenge you to take a step back and reflect (and appreciate) all of the happiness you've had in your life. You might be surprised at how much you can recreate that joy!
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