Dear Reader,

Recently, I was scrolling through my LinkedIn profile, and I came across a post that said: "money can't buy happiness."  When I read the full post, it turned out that the definition of happiness for the author had the following constructs:

• Loyal Friends

• Inner peace

• Respect. 

When I looked at the comment section, different people commenting had different definitions of happiness. That got me to think about my definition of happiness. Frankly, it was completely different from any of the people commenting there. That is why I ask you: what is your definition of happiness? 

You know, I will not be surprised if it was different from what I have in my mind. Point being, happiness is subjective. However, positive psychologists with extensive research have found five constructs that make up a happy life. Are you ready to know what those five components are? Well, they are represented by an acronym called 'PERMA', where 

• P is Positive Emotions.

• E is Engagement.

• R is Relationships.

• M is Meaning.

• A is Achievement. 

Let us elaborate on the bullets mentioned above.

Positive Emotions: Emotions like love, gratitude, forgiveness are imperative to increase positive emotions about our past lives. Pain is an inevitable part of our lives, and we cannot run away from it. We can accept it with forgiveness and gratitude. To create positive emotions about the future, hope and optimism are essential. Mindfulness and seeking physical pleasures are ways one can savour positive emotions in the present. Tip: You are on this earth for a specific amount of time. Seek emotions that make you happy. 

Engagement: Ever had that state where you were working on something and completely forgot about the world’s existence? You were immersed in that task with unbreakable concentration. Experts call this as “flow”, a state of being fully engaged with a task. Tip: Find something that engages you. It can be work, cinema or anything.  

Relationships: Romantic relationships, friendships, platonic connections and family are fundamental to our well being. To know that you can depend on people when you experience a ‘low’ in your life is comforting. To laugh, belong, and feel tremendous joy with meaningful relationships, you have built is satisfying. Tip: Look at your life and the relationships that you have created. If you lack meaningful relationships, make an effort to create some. 

Meaning: To find ‘meaning’ or a ‘purpose’ of your existence is significant to have a happy life. What “cause” are you associated with? Different perspectives enable us a sense of purpose: for example, religion, justice, science, politics and family. Tip: Take time out to contemplate about your purpose in life. Many people fall prey to the existential crisis, but you are good to go if you find your purpose. 

Accomplishment: Setting goals and achieving them will eventually make you happy. A sense of mastery over something will allow you to do that thing again and again. It can be your profession or a hobby.  Tip: Set goals and try to achieve them. A sense of achievement is addictive and keeps you from getting bored. 

Those were five imperative constituents that one needs to live a happy life according to positive psychologists. So, what is your definition of happiness? Comment below and I would love to hear from you. 

Love and Peace,

Waleed.