Shawn Achor defines happiness as “the joy you feel moving towards your potential.” It is not pleasure which is short-lived; joy invests more deeply. In fact, you may feel joy even in those moments that are not pleasurable. For example, have you felt joy at the conclusion of a tough, nail-biting team sport? Whether you were watching or playing? Have you felt joy at the end of robust workplace conversations that have resulted in growth, development and other positive outcomes for the parties involved?
A couple of reflection questions for you:
- How do you define happiness?
- What moments have you experienced that were not pleasurable but have brought you joy?
If you’d like to see Shawn’s talk, you can find it here; it runs for less than 1.5 minutes: