Happiness

http://notsalmon.com/2013/08/30/difference-true-happiness-fake-happiness/

Want to know one of my main happiness philosophies I embrace – which helps me to stay happy on a daily basis?

First let me give credit where credit is due. I discovered this happiness philosophy via Aristotle – who I consider one of our world’s first self help authors. Back in his day, Aristotle wrote a lot about something called “Eudaimonia” – which roughly translates into “true happiness”  –  versus the “fake happiness” far too many of us get lured into pursuing.

Here’s the big difference between “true and fake happiness” – quickly explained:

1. “Fake happiness” is all about pursuing “pleasure.”
2. “True happiness” is all about pursuing “the education of the soul” by embracing strong character values,  prioritizing insight, and wanting to grow into one’s highest potential.

Basically, Aristotle believed that there’s a big reason why so many people are unhappy. Too many people foolishly confuse “pleasure” for “true happiness”— when the two are incredibly different.

Need a little more detail on the differences between the two?

Okay – here’s the difference – more slowly explained:

1. “Pleasure” is all about “immediate gratification” of the body and/or ego – and often includes lack of moderation, lack of insightful judgment and lack of being aware of longterm consequences. Pleasure is about being impulse-driven in your choice-making. Unlike “true happiness,” pleasure merely brings a temporary blip of joy -which is unsatisfying in the long run.
2.  “Happiness” in contrast often has a time delay till that “feel good high” kicks in – but it creates “long-haul joy” – because it’s all about growing into your highest potential. It’ s about being growth-driven in your choice-making. True happiness comes when you prioritize wanting to bloom into your best favorite you  – recognizing “insight and growth” as your purpose for being here on this planet – not the temporary superficial high of pleasure.  Pithily put: True happiness comes when you surround yourself with people and experiences which increase your soul’s self-development—hence the joy lasts as long as you last—because the joy created becomes an integral part of who you are as a unique, thriving individual.

Aristotle believed that too many people live impulse-driven lives – and not growth-driven lives — which for him explained why so many people in his day were on a constant roller coaster rise/fall of happy/sad/happy/sad/happy/sad – because that blip of pleasure is fleeting! The same thing applies to the depression problems in our world right here and now – as well as why our world has massive credit card debt, problems with obesity/eating disorders, and high divorce rates.

In summary:

Aristotle believed “true happiness” is about living a “soul focused life” – not an “ego-focused” life by overly-prioritizing money, status, fame, glory, superficial beauty – or a “body-focused” life by overly-prioritizing lust over soul-connected love or  yummy junk food over healthy food, or being overly caught up in surface beauty/glitzy clothes rather than valuing what makes us all unique souls.