What is happiness? I checked in various places what is the definition of the abstract concept called happiness and I came across a variety of definitions.
From the dictionary:
- A positive and positive mood
- A positive emotion in which a person is in a high spirit, usually following an event and an experience which he interprets as positive in one aspect of his life
- Good mental state of vigor and vitality. It is associated with perfection and satisfaction, which comes when a person feels that he has everything he wants
From Judaism:
- A Chassidic rebbe of several generations ago declared that happiness is "inner pleasure."
- Rav Kook in his commentary on the Gemara, 'EIN EICH,' Shabbat 1, 33, says:
"There are two species with pleasure and happiness, the one species that is felt in the soul moderately, fills with the same satisfaction and good hope, but there is no noise and a murmur of happy life and a deep and noisy pleasure, and there is a kind of pleasure that comes to the soul in a strong and powerful way. The species have a real sense of the value of frequency and chance in life … "
Spiritual development:
"Happiness is an inner sound that you make as you move through the day, and the path of joy is about the present time, not the future time."
If we read all the definitions again, we find similarity and connection between them.
Happiness is an inner feeling at the present time, it is subjective because it is related to the way a person perceives the reality of his life, and has different layers and depths (moderate or strong, superficial or deep).
This is not the first time that we understand that it is not the reality of our lives that determines how we feel, but how we perceive the reality of our lives. Hence, there can be a situation in which two people will experience the same positive event (a word that already has interpretation, I know) in their lives (wedding for example) differently, one will experience it as a happy event and the other as a sad event. If it is internal and subjective, I have the choice of how to see and interpret the reality of my life.
Are you happy with your professional work? What is happy for you: to make a lot of money? To achieve accomplishments? To be in a position that influences and transforms? The answer will be different for different people, depending on personality, needs, worldviews, education, genetics and many other variables.
Studies prove that 50% of our happiness level is genetic, another 10% is related to the circumstances of our lives and 40% is in our circle of influence and choice.
40% is a lot!!! This means that even if I was born into a family that does not benefit me, and even if life gave me trouble in bundles, I can still decide to live my life with happiness and joy.
Is it worth it? other studies prove that happy people are healthier, more successful, and have better relationships. Let’s say I’m convinced and I want to be happier and healthier in my life! The question is how to do it?
That's exactly why I developed the SI.M.CH.A. model. A model that took time to be written. It took me a while to understand that this is what I have been doing all my life: encountering crises and difficulties and initiating processes that help me re-create joy and strength. It took me time to understand that for several years I have been doing it with others, helping people emerge from complex and difficult life situations and rekindling their ability to find joy in their lives.
After seeing that it worked in reality, I checked the pattern of these processes that I did with myself and others, what stages we go through in a process that begins with a crisis and continues with forces and growth. It turned out to be a circular process, that once in a while (usually because of difficulty or challenge or burnout) we needed to initiate it. I realized that this model can be used independently by anyone for self-care and reinforcement, that no "guru" or "mentor" is needed to help you transform because you can do it yourself.
What do you need?
A decision, a clear and courageous choice that you choose to live well and happy, that you choose yourself and do not give up, that you are ready to make the way and that your life is more precious than anything else.
