Project Happiness Articles — SoulSunday

All over the world, people have found their own ways to brighten up a difficult day without the need to spend money. Our new series of illustrations takes a look at a few that you might like to try for yourself.

There is a happiness conspiracy afoot and I’m starting to get concerned. Messages of happiness have been pummelling me from all directions. It’s barely noon and I’ve already seen happy-faced emojis sprinkled throughout my incoming text messages

One of my very favourite cartoons is this one from Michael Leunig. It's been on my page a number of times - and to me encapsulates sometimes how life is - and how - when things are very tough - it is the small things that get you through.

Most people, at least once in their lives, go through a phase of mental and emotional fuzz where things don’t make sense and the daily actions that we do don’t point to an end goal that we wish to achieve.

If you work and study nonstop without even a single thought about your physical and mental health, yes, you will likely succeed, but does it make you happy?

I think it enables me or anyone to basically connect with the deepest part of your soul because you are recognizing and identifying yourself with universal rhythms and patterns, which is what nature shares with you… like looking at the veins going through a leaf, or the veins going through your body. 

For a long time, I’ve held the optimistic notion that most people want to believe what they do is righteous. As much injustice as there is, most of us are simply scrambling up Maslow’s hierarchy (or the spiral dynamics) in pursuit of love, esteem, and self-actualization……even if we scramble in ways that might be considered ungraceful, or downright unjust.

In my 20’s there were days, I felt unhappy. Days, I didn’t want to get out of bed. There was always something calling to me, though, whispering to pull me out of the dull drums. Something saying, “You know I bet if you did this, you would feel some love and happiness.”

As we grow into adults, a lot of people find it difficult to feel these emotions. We accumulate numerous layers of conditioning, while attempting to fit into society’s moulds. In this way, our curiosity and sense of wonder gradually gets diminished and is replaced with a scepticism and seriousness.

Have you ever wondered why some people are more creative than others? Did you ever wish that you had more of that particular gene? The good news is that research shows that happiness and creativity are not only related, they can be developed.