What was my favourite part of the movie? My favourite part of the movie was where it categorised the extrinsic elements money/image/status) and intrinsic elements (personal growth/close relationships/helping the world to make the world a better place). Why? Well, it hit home with me. I have had happy and unhappy times in my life. But sometimes, I have been unhappy days when I thought I should have been happy. And vice-versa, I have sometimes been happy when I thought I should have been unhappy. The movie made me realise that I have probably focusing too much on my extrinsic wellbeing as opposed to my intrinsic wellbeing when measuring my own happiness.
How has this movie helped bring happiness into my life? This movie analyses happiness and spurred reflection on my own happiness. I think it is important to analyse and reflect what makes us happy so we can work towards making those things part of our lives.We must be empowered to make the changes neccessary. At the end of the day, "We paint the picture we see everyday so it's up to us to paint a picture we like".
We all have goals in life. I believe that if we were to write down our five most important life goals, being happy would be there somewhere on most people’s list. Yet, what are we doing specifically to make ourselves happy? What am I doing with the singular goal of making myself happy?
I know that being happy is on my top five list, yet, what am I doing to achieve one of my top five goals? The answer is nothing. I am not consciously doing anything with the sole intention of making myself happier. Sure, I am doing lots of things like working hard to make more money that I believe will make me “happy”, (and maybe it will! I’m not ready to rule that out yet!). However, being happy doesn’t seem to be the primary goal, it always seems to be a consequence of the primary goal (e.g. making money) and therefore happiness is always a secondary consideration for me. Happiness will hopefully come later, almost by accident. The first message that I have taken from this DVD is that I must prioritise being happy, give it the attention that it truly deserves (it wouldn’t be on my top five list if it wasn’t important!)
Can you really work towards being happy? I believe you can. Watching the DVD has reminded me about some things that I can do that make me happy. To use just one simple example, I always feel happy if I randomly help someone. (I am not trying to make myself out as a saint, I am far from it – unfortunately the acts are random in nature and occurrence!) It doesn’t matter how small the act or gesture is, even if it is giving a still-valid parking ticket to someone else as I leave the parking spot, it makes me feel good, it makes me feel happy. So what am I going to do about it? I am going to make a list of the things that make me feel happy and will try to incorporate them into my daily routine. I will seek out the situations that make me happy. I will actively pursue those situations or acts for the sake of happiness. By carrying out those acts on a frequent basis, I believe that I will make myself happier. I will work at being happy. The second message that I have taken from this DVD is that I can, and should, work at being happy.
So what have I learnt? In a nutshell: Being happy is important to me. I can work at it by doing those things that make me happy for happiness’s sake, and if I do, I’ll be happier.
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ReplyDeleteThank you Bob for sharing this movie with me.
ReplyDeleteWhat was my favourite part of the movie?
My favourite part of the movie was where it categorised the extrinsic elements money/image/status) and intrinsic elements (personal growth/close relationships/helping the world to make the world a better place). Why? Well, it hit home with me. I have had happy and unhappy times in my life. But sometimes, I have been unhappy days when I thought I should have been happy. And vice-versa, I have sometimes been happy when I thought I should have been unhappy. The movie made me realise that I have probably focusing too much on my extrinsic wellbeing as opposed to my intrinsic wellbeing when measuring my own happiness.
How has this movie helped bring happiness into my life?
This movie analyses happiness and spurred reflection on my own happiness. I think it is important to analyse and reflect what makes us happy so we can work towards making those things part of our lives.We must be empowered to make the changes neccessary. At the end of the day, "We paint the picture we see everyday so it's up to us to paint a picture we like".
What messages did I take from this DVD?
ReplyDeleteWe all have goals in life. I believe that if we were to write down our five most important life goals, being happy would be there somewhere on most people’s list. Yet, what are we doing specifically to make ourselves happy? What am I doing with the singular goal of making myself happy?
I know that being happy is on my top five list, yet, what am I doing to achieve one of my top five goals? The answer is nothing. I am not consciously doing anything with the sole intention of making myself happier. Sure, I am doing lots of things like working hard to make more money that I believe will make me “happy”, (and maybe it will! I’m not ready to rule that out yet!). However, being happy doesn’t seem to be the primary goal, it always seems to be a consequence of the primary goal (e.g. making money) and therefore happiness is always a secondary consideration for me. Happiness will hopefully come later, almost by accident. The first message that I have taken from this DVD is that I must prioritise being happy, give it the attention that it truly deserves (it wouldn’t be on my top five list if it wasn’t important!)
Can you really work towards being happy? I believe you can. Watching the DVD has reminded me about some things that I can do that make me happy. To use just one simple example, I always feel happy if I randomly help someone. (I am not trying to make myself out as a saint, I am far from it – unfortunately the acts are random in nature and occurrence!) It doesn’t matter how small the act or gesture is, even if it is giving a still-valid parking ticket to someone else as I leave the parking spot, it makes me feel good, it makes me feel happy. So what am I going to do about it? I am going to make a list of the things that make me feel happy and will try to incorporate them into my daily routine. I will seek out the situations that make me happy. I will actively pursue those situations or acts for the sake of happiness. By carrying out those acts on a frequent basis, I believe that I will make myself happier. I will work at being happy. The second message that I have taken from this DVD is that I can, and should, work at being happy.
So what have I learnt? In a nutshell: Being happy is important to me. I can work at it by doing those things that make me happy for happiness’s sake, and if I do, I’ll be happier.