The Pursuit of Happiness (Not the movie :P)

I was reading the PDF from the Time Magazine and I was surprised to find out that only 1/3rd of Americans since 1972 have described themselves as “very happy.” One major reason for that happening is, I believe, that people are becoming more and more pessimistic about the future. They don’t know what to live for anymore. People still believe the old saying that “money solves all problems.” It is true that money can boost happiness if it helps you to obtain what you desire.
For example, people should not just settle in life with what they have if they are not happy. If you aren't satisfied, go and find something that you love doing. Like Steve Jobs said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet keep looking.” Even a recent survey suggests that, for example, previously out-of-work people are happier with their new job even if it doesn't pay as much because they love the job.

Social media also tends to affect a person immensely. For example, people will feel the need to share everything they are doing in their life maybe to get people to “like” your posts and comment. People are bringing in attention to themselves this way. People also tend to get depressed/jealous after scrolling through their Facebook or Twitter. The reason that happens is that people see pictures of others and tend to envy them. They also may get depressed because they see others supposedly leading fascinating lives while they are just on their phone scrolling through Facebook or other social media.

So what I think is that people should find something to live for. That is very important. You should find something in life that motivates you and keeps you going. As long as you are happy with what you are doing, that is all that matters.

Article here  :  
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2146449,00.html

Benefits of being self-disciplined

I was reading this article about self-discipline , it talked about people who have better self-control do many things that bring them happiness. They tend to avoid conflict and have better moods compared to their counterparts who don’t have such good self-control. The author said, “Feeling good rather than bad may be a core benefit of having good self-control, and being well satisfied with life is an important consequence.” (P.2)

People who have better self-control also tend to have fewer negative emotions. But having self-control is not easy, it all depends on how determined you are to succeed in your long-term goal. For example, dieting and exercising may seem like goals that will give you negative emotions, but if you succeed, you will be happy and proud of yourself. Self-control will not help you get instant pleasure, but it will be worth it in the long run.

There is also a distinct difference between those people who live a disciplined life and those who do not. Those who are more disciplined tend to plan for their long term goals and stick to it. I think that is a good thing, to be honest, I feel this article applies to me. Because I do have long-term goals and I do tend to avoid situations which I feel will compromise my goals.

http://healthland.time.com/2013/06/24/self-disciplined-people-are-happier-and-not-as-deprived-as-you-think/

The Pursuit of Happyness

The Pursuit of Happyness is a quintessential tale of the American Dream. A man who is poor, struggles and with his hard work, succeeds against all odds. It is a very touching movie. It is the happiness that the person attains after he finds out that he has succeeded after struggling which is so touching. If you are determined and you have the talent, you will surely succeed. It gives me hope that as long as I work hard and try my best, I will succeed. 

I think that the American dream exists to give you hope. It gives you hope that if you work hard enough, in the end you will succeed. It is a stereotype that a perfectly average person with an average income will be successful and lead a happy life as long as he works hard. But that is not always the case, as we have seen with Willy in the book , "Death of a Salesman". He worked so hard but what did he get at the end? Nothing. In contrast, the film, The Pursuit of Happiness, endorses the idea that as long as you are smart and willing to try your best, at the end you will surely succeed.