New year, new yearand more satisfaction? It's not that easy. Of course, it would be pretty easy if you resolved to be happier from now on and that would be the case without much effort, I admit.
So let's say right from the start: satisfaction doesn't come from the mere desire for it. Sobering? Personally, I don't think so, because that means at the same time: you have personal satisfaction and fulfillment in your own hands. A great inspiration here are people who already live happily and contentedly. What are they doing differently? Where does their happiness lie and what makes a life satisfying?
What it means to be happy and content
I find the definition of happiness essential to finding out what it means to be happy. Random luck has nothing to do with this. “Having luck” is not the same as “being happy”. You cannot influence random luck, but you can influence the emotional state of happiness. By actively doing something for your own well-being, for example, in a self-determined and mindful mannermeets and lives according to his values. It can and may take time to reach this state. Being happy is not something that has to happen overnight - and often cannot happen at all.
Satisfaction is also a decision. Unlike happiness, it is not an emotion, but rather a feeling. Satisfaction is based on a positive mood. You are also satisfied when what you expected happens. However, satisfaction is even more stable when you are satisfied regardless of external influences. You accept what you cannot change, you are able to oversee it and distance yourself from stressful events.
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If you are not satisfied with what you have, you would not be satisfied with what you could have.
Berthold Auerbach, writer (1812-1882)
5 things you can learn from happy people
Satisfaction is a conscious decision, as I already mentioned. It can help to become aware of what makes happy people what they are guided by and what attitudes they have:
1) Take out the pressure
Anyone who really wants to be happy puts pressure on themselves. OneResearch by the University of Sydney in collaboration with the University of Torontofound that participants who were able to give free rein to their emotions while watching a film felt significantly more happy than those who were told to be particularly happy. Because: The group that was supposed to be happy felt under pressure for time and happiness.
So this shows that looking for unconditional happiness and satisfaction neither makes you happy nor satisfied. It is a fallacy to believe that a certain feeling will occur when XY occurs. And yet we, myself included, often cling to it. It would be better if you found happiness in the little things, by enjoying the moment and trying to make the best of what already is.
2) Be grateful
Gratitude requires being aware of what you already have. Those who are grateful do not take what is for granted. It can feel empowering knowing what you have already accomplished and created. By focusing less on what could or should be in the future and more on what already is, you feel satisfaction alongside gratitude.
3) Have a stable social environment
It's not about having countlessor has the most amazing family. A few, but deep and constant connections with others are enough. In order to feel like you belong, you don't necessarily need a family; friendships can also grow to the point where they become family-like structures. “The wider social environment also influences our sense of happiness – good friendships, family, work colleagues. People who live in a stable relationship are usually happier than single people. When it comes to people with children, it’s not entirely clear: those who have children don’t experience more joy, but rather more meaning,” says psychologist Dr. Hannes Zacher in a discussion at the Leipzig Book Fair in 2023.
4) Be healthy
In England, researchers in the Journal of Happiness study found a connection between well-being and a diet rich in fruit and vegetables as well as physical activity. From this we can deduce: Anyone who does something for their ownis happier and more balanced than someone who places little value on nutrition and fitness.
5) Create something meaningful
Various studies show that those who give meaning to their lives live happier lives. How this meaning is defined is highly individual. Some people find it fulfilling to get involved in a club for others, while others find meaning in painting or strength in faith.
What makes a life sustainably satisfying
Personal satisfaction is most lasting when it is based on various elements and is intrinsic, i.e. does not depend on the outside. You will then be more resilient and robust in the face of crises. A contented life is not one in which there are no downs. Rather, it is a life that one accepts in all its facets and lives neither in the past nor in the future, but in the now.
What can help: Reflecting on yourself again and again, looking at your own life and having a good connection to your own feelings. Satisfaction usually doesn't just come to you, but is something that you decide to do again and again on a regular basis. Start the new year with this awareness? Very empowering, I think!
