The thing that people seek the most is probably happiness. But how do you become happy? What do you need to do in order to experience this wonderful feeling on a regular basis?
Many things in this world make us happy. People, confidence, certain activities, achieving goals, a sense of purpose, etc. This article will look at how people can make us happy. The other topics will be explored on the upcoming Thursdays in December, so stay tuned and you can start 2022 under the best conditions.
Finding People That Make Us Happy
Friends, family, and partners are three groups of people that bring us great joy. Of course, each of these groups can also be complicated. We might fight with our partner, have heated discussions with our family, and fall out with our friends. But we probably wouldn’t have these people in our lives if they didn’t also provide us with joy and happiness.
People make us happy because humans are social creatures. You might be introverted and not always have the energy for being surrounded by people, but being completely alone all the time probably doesn’t satisfy you either. We need some kind of human connection in order to feel comfortable, safe, and loved. The need for connection is part of our DNA.
Having a human connection doesn’t mean just being surrounded by some kind of people. You need your people. People who have the same interests as you, who are like-minded, who share your sense of humor, and who understand and like you.
How to Connect With People Who Make You Happy
Finding good friends is not always easy. We’re not always so open to strangers. Picking up a conversation with someone we don’t know often feels awkward. And we might also not regularly be in environments where we meet cool people we want to connect with.
To change this and make more friends, you can do the following:
- Visit events that interest you and where people who share your interest go
- Come up with a handful of conversation openers to make it less awkward to talk to strangers
- Find online communities (like our Moonshot Pirates community) – connecting virtually with a stranger is sometimes easier than connecting in real life. It simply feels less awkward and it can be a great starting point for meeting up in real life later
- Volunteer for projects that you find cool, like the projects that were evolved in our latest #beapirate challenge 2021 by young changemakers
What these strategies have in common is that they will bring you in contact with people who are likely to be similar to you and give you a natural way to interact with them. Not only with this increase your chances of meeting cool people, but it will also expose you to a lot of cool activities and environments that might make you happy too (more on that in part 3 of this series).
Sharing Happiness With Other People
Having a strong social network is great for a bunch of reasons:
- You don’t feel alone
- You can share your thoughts
- You can get inspired
- You are something for someone
Yet, what is really powerful about other people is how we can contribute to the lives of each other by helping each other out. Being there for someone feels amazing – both for you and for the person you’re helping out. Even just checking in with someone and asking how they are doing can make you and the other person a little happier. When I think about the purpose of life and why we are here, I always think: We are here for each other. That’s a big part of what makes life meaningful – to be there for others and compassionately contribute to the well-being of other people.
Here is a powerful TED talk about the beauty of helping others and how it can increase your happiness:
Happiness is in part a social thing. Sharing happiness with others increases it; making others happy makes us happy; being cared for by others brings us happiness. Who do you have in your life that makes you happy? Who do you have in your life that you make happy? And when was the last time you felt grateful for those people? Gratitude, too, is an amazing tool for increasing your happiness, so share it freely, pirate! Spread the joy.
