On Happiness...

Do you make New Year's Resolutions?

I do.

And why do we?  Isn't it because want to be happier and better, and by being better, happier?  I've been thinking about happiness recently, for whatever reason...  maybe because I am 30 and when you're 30, all of a sudden, it seems like maybe life isn't as long as you thought it was and you better get a move on things if you're going to make anything of it all.  Or maybe it's because I am thinking about the changes on the horizon at work and at home.  Or maybe because everywhere I look, there are resolutions promising a better me:  "New Year, New Butt!" was my favorite (and I will admit, with that advertisement, I almost bought a class package to Pop Physique despite already having a gym membership).

So how do we go about obtaining happiness? 

Well, I haven't found the answer, but like I said I have thought about this quite a bit recently, so here's what's out there:

There is a good chance that you've seen one of the various articles about the top 5 regrets of the dying:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

Or maybe you've seen the TED talk about how getting what we want is not what makes us happier.  (Instead, as this TED talk explains, we are capable of and do synthesize happiness based on what we end up with in life, some better than others).

They've even made a whole documentary about the topic of happiness.  (Here is the link.  It is available on Netflix and it was quite good).

All of these things have the same conclusion:  that extrinsic things such as money, prestige, and image are not ultimately what make us happy.  Instead, things we can do to specifically "grow happiness" include new experiences, "flow" via play or even in work, physical exercise, gratitude, acts of kindness, and meditating on love and compassion.

Despite the fact that we all know this deep inside, it seems like most of us still spend most of our time chasing and working to build that extrinsic stack, myself included.  That's the first part of why I am sharing these thoughts with you...  it's a New Year and we all want to be happy.

So here's my New Year's Resolutions for this year:
1. Exercise at least 3x per week on average:  I think given that I am a doctor, I can at least follow the medical advice we give others on exercise.
2. Cook at least 3x per month:  health and personal education, what more can I say?

Product of my resolution last week.  Given that I rarely cook, I am quite proud.

3. Most importantly, learn to rest:  This was inspired by a sermon by my pastor on "honoring the Sabbath".  It was excellent and you can download it here ("The Fourth Word").  The thing that stuck with me was that the reason to have a "Sabbath" day of rest is so that we learn that our self-worth is not in what we achieve (but instead in God).

I THOUGHT THIS WAS A GARDENING BLOG!!

Yes, yes it is.  Which brings me to the second reason I share these thoughts...

A short argument for gardening:

A recent poll in the UK discovered that 80% of gardeners felt satisfied with their lives, compared to 67% of non-gardeners (and 55% of people who did not have any hobby).  Also, gardeners were less likely to have symptoms of depression compared to others.  

I will admit that polls are not terribly scientific.  So how's this for science: a published study shows that contact with a bacteria in soil Mycobacterium vaccae through the skin or respiratory system causes a release of serotonin (which is responsible for mood and learning).  Also, feeding this bacteria to mice made them more capable at learning mazes.  Sound gross?  Take from that what you will.

My personal argument is that gardening constantly exposes you to new experiences, provides a chance to stop paying attention to the noise from the rest of the world (some call it meditative), brings you outside into the sunlight (also associated with happiness), and the work you put in is directly related to the reward -- you reap what you sow, in the best way.  In essence, it is a chance to rest, which we all need.

So in summary, let's let ourselves be happier.  Even if we're busy, even if gardening is not your thing, I encourage you to find your flower somewhere... whether's it's cooking, writing, exercise, rock-climbing, surfing, or just stopping to smell the roses every once in awhile.

Happy 2014 to us!

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