Happiness Texts & TED talks
Where do your passions lay? Do you have to be doing what you are doing right now?
Do you like how your life is going?
Do you want it to be this way?
I was listening to an NPR Hourly Radio Talk the other day, and they were discussing the concept of happiness and why it has become so important to us. In this TED talk they talk about a guy, who thought of a really cool project. Where you sign up for happiness texts. Basically they email or text you a link where it asks you some of the questions above. Including some others like , " How lonely do you feel right now." Or " How much sleep did you get last night."
All of your answers are put together and they give you a graph of how happy you are in certain situations or times, or while performing certain tasks.
Anyway I signed up and have been doing these mini surveys. Hopefully the data they collect will help me see what I need to cut out of my life!
Back to the point. This talk got me thinking, in this day and age we have so many avenues to take, things to do, and the ability to make decisions on what we want and how we want it. I think this is the only time in history that humans have had this option.
Think about it... As a woman, living in the 1800's , you were property. From birth you belonged to a man, first your father, then whichever husband he chose for you then you had children, hopefully sons, then you died.
That was it. That was your life.
At no point in your life did you feel like you had a choice over a career, a love interest, or even a societal function.
Now women have careers that can compete with most men, they can choose to either be in a relationship with another man, woman or single. We can have children without being married, we can essentially live our lives based on what we want and what will make us happy.
As a man you didnt have any freedom either. You were basically born, raised to fight or provide, married off to get the best land or title, and were forced to try and try until you "Made" a son. And that was your big accomplishment. You either became a war hero, the father of a war hero , or a man who owned lots of land.
Now you can see that neither of these options left any room for preferences, for happiness. It was all simple. You did what you had to do, when you had to do it. Not because you loved it... But because it was required of you.
I must say living in this time is something I wouldn't change for the world.
The possibilities are endless.
So I ask you.
Are you living the life you want?
Are you pursuing your passions?
Laying groundwork for your dreams?
If not then what's going on?
What do you need to change?
The happiness texts project is at the following address, check it out. It might just help you figure out what needs to stay and what needs to go.
& don't be afraid to send a message my way if you want to pick my mind a bit. I love talking with you guys!
https://www.trackyourhappiness.org
