Introduction

I've talked about this topic more than a couple of times. But it's still been weighing very heavily on my mind as I find it such a difficult puzzle to crack but worth while trying. I've been posting a lot less recently also because I've been getting mental blocks telling me to just write out these posts before continuing with anything else. So here goes!

I'm an scientist in heart. There is no truth unless the results and methodology are replicable by a community of my peers. So, I want to attempt writing a series of posts on the how to of happiness based on discussions I've had in Mindvalley and also from talks I've attended. Some may make sense, some may not. But if some work for me and you, then that's all that matters! This is also an opportunity for me to explore as much as possible and find what works for me.

Definition of Happiness

Disclaimer: According to me

Anyone that knows me, knows that I'm by no means a sad or depressed person. I love hanging out with people, I love travelling and having fun, I love going out and explore not just food and locations, but emotions and experiences as well. However, I do have a sense of emptiness and I don't understand why when, objectively, my life so far has been very blessed.

In one of my first few posts when I joined Steemit, I've written quite extensively on my graphical definition of Happiness (Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3)

Since then, I've gotten a slightly different perspective of happiness. Same same, but different.

I think that there are 2 layers to emotions. The external shown to the world and the internal that determines your thoughts.

Think of the internal as a furnace that burns warmer as you put more energy into it to maintain your internal emotions. While the external is influenced by the internal by contact, it is also exposed to external experiences. The Japanese have a similar concept called Honne and Tatamae where Honne is a person's true feeling and desires while Tatamae is what the world sees and influences.

Source

Differences

So, while the Tatamae is easy to understand, it is affected by external factors. A brief human interaction, a party, alcohol etc are what affects your Tatamae. But different factors affect your Honne, a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging, a sense of contribution.

This is what I plan to talk about in the next few posts. I hope you enjoy them!

Discussion Topics for this Post:

1. What does happiness mean to you?
2. Do you agree/disagree on the idea of multifaceted emotions?
3. Have you ever felt a conflict of emotions? "I should be angry but I'm not" or "I should be happy but I'm not"