My life has involved living at times with some people, and my mother (may her soul be resting peacefully), is one of them. My Mom certainly did not qualify as a “happy” person, but she was a wonderful teacher nevertheless. Even though I consider myself a rather positive, upbeat person, any of you who know me, or have read my blogs earlier this year, or the stories in BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity about soul and spirit, personal growth and transformation, will also have sensed that my journey and healing have taken me into some pretty dark territory. So I am always intrigued and fascinated to explore more about the topic of happiness — the state, the process, what takes us toward it and away…where does it live in our awareness, our somatic body…
Today I came across a new explication of the subject in an interview with George Vaillent, a PI in the longitudinal Grant Study — which led me to read an article in The ATLANTIC called What Makes Us Happy? about this study. I loved that first out of George’s mouth came the statement that “Happiness is the Wrong Word”! Happiness is very often conflated with hedonism, and getting lucky. And I’d add, getting what we think we want. Probing more deeply, into the study, and into our own experience and awareness, we wind up delving into the broader questions of what makes a good life, what makes a life worth living.
My interest has been piqued by these insightful TED talks: The Surprising Science of Happiness, by Ted Gilbert, and Want to be Happy? Stay in the Moment! by Matt Killingsworth. We learn about the role the different parts of our brains play in our psychological states, and how that elusive state relates to what we are paying attention to!
I look forward to exploring this topic more throughly with you in days to come. Your comments and questions are welcome.
Jill Schroder is the author of BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity. BECOMING is an invitation for self-reflection, and to mine our memorable moments for insights, meaning, andgrowth. Check the website for a sample chapter, or see the reviews to get a flavor for the volume. Follow me on Twitter, let’s be friends on Facebook 
