Source: www.liveboldandbloom.com
A guest post by Daniel Zandt of Stillminds.
As a society, we spend a lot of time thinking about what it means to be happy.
Take the burgeoning field of positive psychology, which seeks to lead us on the path to exceptional mental health, not just freedom from disorder. We don’t want to simply survive. We want to thrive as happy, productive individuals. We want meaning and purpose, as well as fulfilling relationships and experiences.
There are as many opinions on how to find happiness as there are scientists and researchers. Yet one simple dictum has been cited again and again in ancient wisdom and modern science: if you want to feel happier, do more for others. As the old Chinese proverb reminds, “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a month, get married. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody else.”