"The Happiness Project": Not What You Think...

Last night I had the distinct displeasure of listening to an interview with an astoundingly self-focused woman. 

She's been working on a "happiness project".

Sounds good, right? Interesting, certainly. But somehow, as the interview progressed, I became more and more irritated at the limitations of her focus. And the limitations of the entire project. See, she does not venture beyond her own internal feelings and explorations about how to gauge her own personal happiness and how to propel herself into more happiness. Her exploration is completely internal. Her project is solitary and completely self-focused, self-oriented, and ostensibly, self-solving.

Clearly this woman is enviably smart and articulate, driven and ambitious. Yet, the project, the exploration is one done solely within ones own head. That, to me, seems like an eternal spiral away from happiness.

I believe life is about relating to others. And now, because of my recent experience in Uganda and every choice I've made in my life that led me there, finally at 38 years old I understand that true happiness comes from busting your hump to help the less fortunate.


Taking a leap of faith and going for broke on behalf of individuals enduring absolutely inhumane circumstances, poverty, terror, abuse, slavery - THAT will re-calibrate your internal "happiness" machinery. Promise.


If we can get outside of our own heads, our own homes, our own circumstances - just for a minute - and consider some of the millions of people locally and around the world who don't have the luxury of pondering the degree of their own happiness. Ponder the people who are too busy trying to find shelter in this frigid Chicago winter, or those who struggle to get a single meal in a day, or a brief rest from the men who pay to rape and beat them. 

Then do better than ponder - jump in. 
Go get involved in something. 
Risk a little discomfort.


What you get in return is off the "happiness" charts.


Promise.