If you read anything on the topic of happiness it won’t take long until you see advice that says you should focus on finding something you enjoy doing. You’ve probably heard this phrase 1000 times: “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life”.
There’s plenty of truth in that statement, which is one of the reasons why you’ve heard it so many times. Think of all the times you’ve done something that involved physical labor or complex brainpower. Maybe it was moving into a new apartment or house that you were excited about. Or helping plan a surprise party for a friend.
You weren’t even getting paid for those tasks, but they didn’t feel like work because you enjoyed them. So the basic concept makes sense, right? I’ve been thinking about that lately, but I felt like something was missing.
Something More
When I look back on times in my life when I’ve been the happiest I wasn’t just doing something I enjoyed, I was driven. The things I was working on during those times weren’t usually anything groundbreaking. Most haven’t endured to this day, but they all had one thing in common. I was learning something new and challenging myself to do something I had not done before.
Those periods in my life also had one other thing in common. I was focused on benefiting other people in some way. Sometimes it was as simple as someone enjoying a game I created. Other times it was creating tools in a new industry so friends and co-workers could be more efficient in their jobs.
Personal Life
While this might seem to be more focused on work, I think it translates to my personal life too. My favorite times with my family are when we are exploring new places and experiencing new things. We enjoy what we’re doing, we learn new things, and we all benefit from the experience.
For example, during our 2021 Campcaption, we toured a lighthouse in California. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for years so I definitely enjoyed it! We also learned about the history of that lighthouse and how lighthouses work in general. Did you know you can time the flashing of the lights and based on only that information you can know exactly where the lighthouse is located? The tours are given in exchange for a small donation which helps the volunteer caretakers with upkeep on the property, so we were able to help others too.
The Equation
So what I’ve realized is, for me, happiness is a 3 part equation: Doing something I enjoy + Learning something new + Helping others with what I’m doing. The reason the lighthouse tour stands out as one of my favorite memories from our trip is because it hits all 3 of the criteria in my happiness equation.