Did you know that achieving happiness can be accomplished in just seven steps? That’s what Tal Ben-Shahar, formerly of Harvard, now back in his native Israel – claims. Ben-Shahar, also known as the happiness guru, is credited with teaching Harvard’s most popular course in which the professor explore the topic of positive psychology.
Our Israel 64 edition last month included a feature on Ben-Shahar’s return to Israel after living abroad, primarily in the United States, for around 20 years. On returning to his native land Ben-Shahar said, “The Israel I came back to was not the Israel I left…Israel had not only joined the 21st century; in many ways, it was now leading the way.”
So what are the happiness guru’s seven steps to achieving bliss?
- Permission to be human: When we give ourselves permission to experience painful emotions, we are more likely to open ourselves up to positive ones.
- The intersection of pleasure and meaning: Research shows that even an hour of a meaningful and pleasurable experience can affect the quality of a whole day. (Ben-Shahar explains this more fully in his interview in the video above.)
- The state of one’s mind: Our level of well-being is determined by by what we choose to focus on and by our interpretation of external events. For example, do we see failure as a catastrophe or a learning opportunity?
- Simplify! We compromise our happiness by doing too much. Knowing when to say “no” can in actual fact mean saying “yes”.
- Mind-body connection: Regular exercise, healthy eating and adequate sleep lead to both physical and mental good health.
- Express gratitude: Learn to appreciate things in life, from people to food, from nature to a smile.
- Spending time with people we care about – and who care about us: Savor the time you spend together.
Another way of exploring how to attain happiness can be by looking at what people regret most in life and avoid making the same mistakes. Bonnie Ware, a palliative nurse in Australia who cares for people in the final 12 weeks of their lives, asked her patients what they regretted most in life. The top answer was not something expected, like spending more time with family, but, “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”
What do you make of Ben-Shahar’s claims? Are they realistic? Idealistic? And is he missing any?
