Where is your dream vacation? If you could do anything you want today, what would you do? What makes you happy? Who makes you happy? Everyone can answer those questions, everyone knows what brings happiness and contentment to their lives. Sitting on a tropical beach, playing guitar, working the potter’s wheel; each brings a spike in contentment.

Another question: do you set aside time for the activities that make you happy? Most people would say NO! There is never enough time. Young parents, in particular, tend to the needs of others at the expense of pursuing their own interests. I remember my own experiences, where I gladly set aside contentment-inducing activities to care for my small family. I took great joy in my life revolving around theirs. Yet, as my son grew and developed his independence, I dreamt once again about time for myself and the things I love.

A person’s level of contentment seems to be determined, in part, by our generation, with some happier than others. The chart below shows that the pre-industrial generations had the highest level of happiness. My own generation (born in the 1950s) places above average on the happiness scale, while millennials exhibit lower-than-average levels. This is a huge generalization of course, but it does suggest that modernization and high-tech living has not brought happiness.Go figure!

No one is ever limited by a chart! Above average happiness is available to everyone. However, I am not talking about pursuing just pleasurable sensations, which bring only fleeting happiness. Long-term contentment rests in finding mental stimulation, companionship, and appreciating simple things, like sunsets. Children get it. Swing sets, coloring books, sand castles, but we all need time to play.

Spike