How we change what others think, feel, believe and do
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How we change what others think, feel, believe and do |
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Achievable Challenge
Techniques > Happiness > Achievable Challenge Description | Discussion | See also
DescriptionTake on challenges. Set yourself goals, including short- medium- and long-term objectives. Think about what you want to achieve in life and then plan your way there in steps you can tick off a list. Make sure the challenges you take on are achievable, so do not try to jump over the moon. Also make sure your challenges challenge you and are not to easy. Dive into your challenges and always do your best. Get lost in the action, focusing on the doing and not 'being happy'. Believe in yourself and your goals. Enjoy the journey as well as the achievement at the end. DiscussionOne of the basic ways we get happy is by meeting our goals, as opposed to the frustration and anger we feel when we do not. So setting goals and meeting them is an easy route. The problem is that goals which are too easy are not that rewarding. Our brains want us to improve and grow and make us happy only when we deserve it. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi uses the term 'flow' for the state we get into when we are engaged in something enjoyable, where time seems to fly by. He describes an 'autotelic personality' (auto=self, telos=goal) who sets themselves goals. An important part of finding flow is letting go of the self. When you are immersed, you lose track of your sense of identity. This can be particularly scary for those who are very self-focused and, paradoxically, the selfish are often have difficulty finding happiness. There is also a curious 'work-play' paradox, where people at work are dreaming of holidays, yet sitting on the beach is boring for many. Asked about when they were happiest and many people will describe times at work when they achieved significant goals. See also
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1998) Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement
with Everyday Life |
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