“Be Yourself. Life is precious as it is. All the elements for your happiness are already here. There is no need to run, strive, search, or struggle. Just Be.” – Thích Nhất Hạnh
This quote reminds me of what it means to get back to basics. Do we really need to strive for bigger, better, more epic, fancier lives in order to be happy? The research on happiness and money suggests that there is indeed a positive correlation, but it’s not that big. The 500 richest people in the world are probably on average happier than people with middle or lower incomes, but not much happier, according to the research. Just because someone has way more possessions, a larger house and fancier TV, and 100 times more money than you, does not mean that person is 100 times happier. As I may have mentioned in a previous blog, the founders of positive psychology who spend their careers studying happiness have identified three main qualities of a happy life: a pleasant life including positive and enjoyable activities, an engaged life involving the active use of our strengths, and a meaningful life involving activities that we value and connections with positive communities and institutions. Do we really need all of the shiny, fancy stuff that we have in order to meet these criteria for a happy life? When I think of times when I am most content, happy, and satisfied, these times are usually when I’m enjoying time spent with loved ones or simply sitting outside and reading a good book. Now, admittedly, my wife and I have spoken on many occasions about how we would like to get our back patio redone, including a roof and some heat lamps so that we can sit outside at any time of the year. Perhaps we might even want one of those barbecue nooks, some outdoor furniture, extra lounge chairs, a fountain, and perhaps even a little stream. Hmm… we’d probably be a lot happier sitting outside if we had all that stuff, wouldn’t we? I’m not so sure. Our backyard is not perfect – it is sloped a little too much, we haven’t had time to really develop a nice garden, it has playground equipment that the kids rarely use, and to say it has grass would be charitable after the crows and raccoons ripped it up in search of beetles early in the summer. The patio itself is uneven, and when spring and summer come, we can barely keep back the weeds they keep growing up in between the patio stones. Even so, when I’m sitting outside having my breakfast and coffee on a lovely summer morning, I really can’t imagine being much more content. Consider the quote that I began this blog with. Is it possible that, whatever we are doing right at this moment is all we need in order to be content, peaceful, and happy. If we are really getting back to basics, maybe we only need to be in touch with ourselves and our current experience of the moment. As we often teach people in our clinic, one of the best ways to do this is to practice mindfulness – attention and awareness of our experience of the present moment. – Alexander L. Chapman, Ph.D., R.Psych.