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Be happy by making others happy
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot (even more than usual) about others and how I can use my skills and expertise even more to help even more people to be happy. At the same time, a number of those in our happiness community have asked whether I enjoy my job and how much satisfaction I gain from running The Happiness Institute.
The crux of the matter is that more and more I’m realising that happiness is NOT entirely an individual thing. Although much of our happiness depends on what we do for and say to ourselves, happiness and well-being more generally are also significantly associated with what we do and say to others.
The Dalai Lama has been quoted as saying “the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes.”
Please let me know your thoughts.
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on Friday, October 28th, 2005 at 11:45 am and is filed under Happy Tips.
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October 28th, 2005 at 3:37 pm
doc happy - you could write a book on this topic!
on a broad level, people feel happy doing things for others if the other appreciates and feels good about it. if you were doing something for someone that never thanked you, always whinged etc then it WOULDN’T make you happy and you wouldn’t want to do it anymore. so we can DO and SAY good things FOR and TO people but unless it’s reciprocated or appreciated then we won’t feel good about it.
but the Dalai Lama thinks that there is more of a “sense of well-being” when you try to care about the happiness of others. “well being” is one type of happiness, but i think it would be good to experience the other types of happiness too for a balancing effect. eg. the type of happiness that the givers would feel when someone is doing something nice for THEM for a change. this is something that a lot of people in society are missing out on, especially carers.
this actually opens up a can of worms ……. eg. is it best to have a balance of different types of happiness, or can you exist on one type? do different personalilties need different types of happiness than others?
also, you know the phrase that goes something like “you are what you say” ….. if you are always whinging then you’ll be thinking negatively. if you are always trying to be happy to people, then you’ll be happy yourself. then because you’re happy, it will be magnetic and other happy people will be drawn to you. so you’ll have happy people around you. then when you’re not feeling too happy, you’ll hopefully have someone to listen to you, to give you some advice etc, but also a gentle smile.
talking about happiness and how to be happy must make you happy otherwise you wouldn’t do it. but on a broader level, there are actually HAPPINESS GROUPS in the USA that meet up (every month or two, i think it is). they have a guest speaker etc etc. obviously people must find it good, and must be happy about it, otherwise they wouldn’t keep on doing it. so this is a broad extension of what you do at the Happiness Institute (shame there isn’t something like that in Oz!!! i’d love to talk about the things that I’ve typed above in real-time, in a general happiness group.
there’s a LOT more i could say, but as usual i’m suffering from verbal (or written!) diahhrea on topics that i love talking about!
maybe someone can start up a Happiness Club for people to meet with other, likeminded people?
October 31st, 2005 at 9:47 am
Hello to everyone from Sydney, Australia-
I am writing on behalf of the Passion Happiness Club of Sydney to wish everyone well. Your website is great and we would love to share our thoughts with you all.
As a founding premise for the PHC, we strongly believe that indeed, happiness is something that is found in sharing, and through concern for others. To put it in Buddhist terms, it is ridding the self of the ego, because the ego is something that is maybe never satisfied. To stop being hungry, rid yourself of the concept of hunger itself.
In PHC, we like to say: “When you take something from someone, it is lost, gone. But when you give…this is something that is yours to forever cherish.”
We wish everyone well and welcome friends to join us here in Sydney for good times.
Cheers!
October 31st, 2005 at 5:16 pm
hi assad
i’ve just googled your “passion happiness club” and nothing came up
can you tell us some more about it? is there anything online? do you meet up? etc etc
i’m sure some people are interested in knowing more……..
April 15th, 2006 at 6:34 pm
I want to do a lots of good works for my family , people of the world and for the universe .
I want to be free from sex . I want to be completely free from everything . I want to make the entire world happy . I want to purified level of happiness .
I am week and not able to control my mind yet . But i want to be purified . I hate sex .
I love the life of a child .
I want god ( source of purity , true happiness , source of all good energy , and love ) . i want to love him from my heart .
December 6th, 2006 at 3:59 am
LOVE LIFE ,FOR ITS JUST SHORTLIVED.
July 1st, 2007 at 6:08 am
It is significantly interesting to see such a topic, i have been looking for any subject that is related to how we can make others happy in any way, but i couldn’t find as honest as this blog.
May i ask for a favor? is there a way that you found to make others happy, or a group that is set up special for such purposes, please inform me as soon as possible, i am also looking forward to do something together. I have some good ideas to follow a plan, i just need your interest first. thanks.
yours,
ms. may awwad
October 20th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
You are probably right about the value that shared Joy or Happiness can bring, Than it’s ‘Double Joy’, Like they say about ‘Dancing’, dancing is ‘Joy for Two’. Talking about ‘Dancing’ have you seen
the ‘Hillarious’, ‘Happy Dance’ video on my Blog already?
Look Out:
‘It can actually make you feel Happy Instantly!’
All the Best,
HP
P.S. Feel free to let me know what you think.