Seeking happiness versus
creating happiness
Create your own happiness boost
Your mindset largely determines how you think and act. It shapes the way you achieve goals. This also applies to the goal of “being happy. With a strong mindset, you take more control and create your own happiness.
A different mindset: search vs. create
In the search for happiness, we are mostly looking for external factors. Those factors give no guarantee and often lie in the future. When you believe that you create happiness yourself, the focus shifts to internal sources. That’s where you have control. You control how you react, how you think and when you experience happiness.
The chemistry of happiness
Happiness is not only felt mentally. In your brain, a series of chemical reactions start that enhance the feeling. Endorphins play a leading role in this. This neurotransmitter interacts with several hormones, each of which affects a different element of happiness:
- Dopamine gives confidence and a pleasant feeling.
- Serotonin brings calmness and stability.
- Noradrenaline strengthens willpower and focus.
- Adrenaline activates and gets you moving.
- Oxytocin links contact to feelings of happiness.
The happiness boost
You influence this chemistry yourself. Diet, exercise and social contact balance your hormone levels. Your senses also play a role. A smell, a color or a sound can directly affect your mood. Therefore, create an environment that stimulates you in a way that contributes to your well-being.
By consciously managing your habits, your environment and your inner dialogue, happiness does not become an accidental find, but a result of how you manage yourself. Want more insight into mindset and self-management? Then check out our Personal Leadership in 4 Months training course.
