4 keys to happiness
All our life, we keep looking for happiness. How can one be happy? Of course, it differs from person to person. However, there a few common keys to happiness that remain the same, no matter what your personality and lifestyle. Let us explore four such basic keys to happiness, based on Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
1. Safety
We cannot be happy before we get the basics right. Having food, shelter, clothing and a sense of security are very important to being happy. Often, good food or a good piece of clothing or a lovely home can make us feel happy by themselves. But, even if we are not fully happy by these alone, we can't be happy if we don't have these basic needs met.
2. Love
Love, peace and belongingness are important factors in determining one's happiness. Everybody is happy when in love. Having people, projects and places to love makes one happy. If we do not have something to love, life might seem not worth living. Being a part of a team can make us happy, whether the team is our family, friends, colleagues or others. Having a special someone in life can greatly increase our chances of happiness. Also, being able to love our work, our location, our lifestyle, our friends etc can go a long way in increasing our happiness.
3. Worth
When we feel wanted and useful, we become happy. Recognition is important to us. Our happiness often depends on whether we feel a sense of worth on a daily basis. We are happy when we do work that contributes to others and add value. We are happy when our work is appreciated and recognized. Working somewhere or doing something which does not give a sense of accomplishment can undermine our happiness. Therefore, one of the important keys to happiness is a sense of worth and self esteem.
4. Purpose
Having a higher purpose in life makes life worth living. We feel happy when we find and meet such a purpose. Abraham Maslow calls it a need for self-actualization, and it is a higher order need. Identifying ourselves as part of something larger than life can make us happy. It is very important to have a stable sense of purpose, if we are to be truly and completely happy. Otherwise, with whatever we have and do, we may still feel unfulfilled. Therefore, having a purpose in life is the forth key to happiness.
Please take a moment to share this article through bookmarking sites and leave a comment. Thank you!
