Happiness QuestMatthew Burkett0004665928

Tracking My Happiness:

For my first task, I decided to start keeping a happiness journal. This idea really appealed to me because I could see the merits in spending time at the end of each day remembering positive things and recording them. This is something that I believe I will continue to do indefinitely throughout the future. On a side note, for anyone who decides that they might start keeping any kind of journal at the end of the day, I highly suggest it be done with a pipe and a porter. (The writing on the page is in pencil and the light kept whiting it out.)

Trying Something New:

For my second task, I wanted to try a new activity that elevates my mood. To be honest, there aren’t many new activities that I enjoy that I don’t already do, or try to do on a regular basis. What I ended up doing was finding an activity from my childhood that I haven’t done since middle school (which for me was 18 years ago). What I landed on doing was spending an hour laying on the floor and playing with Legos. As chance would have it, I was cleaning out our basement recently and stumbled upon the tub of Legos that I had saved during my childhood, so I was excited to have a real, adult reason to break them out and play without getting funny looks from friends or family while doing it. So, I guess there is a ‘thank you’ in order!

Time With a Loved One:

For my third task, I chose to spend quality time with a loved one without using technology. My wife really enjoyed this. We did anything from spending time playing chess, checkers, Legos, or our favorite - going to the park for long walks, which all allows us to have prolonged, quality conversation without distraction. My wife is 19 weeks pregnant, so she especially loves the attention.

The PERMA Model

The PERMA model is a guideline for a person’s happiness and well-being created by psychologist Martin Seligman, a respected expert in his field. Using this model, I have set goals to help increase my overall happiness, which in turn will hopefully increase my success as well. The breakdown of this model is as follows: Positive Emotion Engagement Positive Relationships Meaning Accomplishment/Achievement

Positive Emotion:

According to Seligman, we need positive emotion in order to experience well-being. But how does one measure how much positive emotion that they experience? By keeping a happiness journal, I can list at least three things that I am grateful for in life or that made me happy on that particular day. By doing this, I can be more aware of the positive influences in my life and focus less on the negativity I experience, so I have started recording three things that made me feel happy, satisfied, or grateful at the end of each day in a journal.

Engagement:

When engaging in an activity that we enjoy or are naturally drawn to, we have the potential to experience ‘flow’. When in a state of flow, it is much like an out of body experience – we are so focused on the task at hand that the rest of the world, including time, can fade away. By setting aside at least one hour each day for me to spend time doing some of my favorite things that are most likely to result in a state of flow, I can potentially increase my sense of well-being. So I have set aside one hour in the afternoon every day to dedicate to a project that I feel is fulfilling and enjoyable. When experiencing flow late in the day, it really helps me unwind and decompress before bed.

Positive Relationships:

Having positive, healthy relationships is essential to a person’s well-being. Studies show that people who have meaningful relationships in their lives are happier than those who do not. To help reinforce my relationship with my wife, I have decided to set aside one hour every evening to spend quality time with her without the distractions of technology. We play chess, go for a walk, talk, or even just exchange a few kind words before and/or after an hour nap. By investing time to improve a relationship, you not only improve your own happiness, but the happiness of your friend, partner, or loved one as well.

Meaning:

Having a meaning in life is a core need for a person to experience well-being. Finding meaning in life can be achieved through many outlets. For some people, meaning can be accomplished through religion. For other people, meaning can be achieved through their work. For me personally, I find my education to be meaningful, but I still want to give something back. In order for me to be able to give back to my community, I have volunteered my time to work at a local shelter. It feels good to help others and give back to the community.

Accomplishment/Achievement:

Having a sense of accomplishment is detrimental to one’s well-being. Achievements can take a long time to acquire, so goal setting is very important to keep one on the path to accomplishment. My current long-term goal is to graduate from Full Sail with honors and find a job in my dream field – designing video games. In order to make sure that I accomplish my goals, I break my classes down into segments so that I know what I want to accomplish each day. By breaking down the work and fitting it into my everyday life, I know exactly how much progress I’ve made and how much I have left. And while I can’t graduate every day, I can relax with a sense of accomplishment in knowing that I finished everything I had set out to do for the day, if not more.

References:

The PERMA Model – MindTools.com

(All pictures were either taken by me or are of me.)