I love being on a plane. I’m not talking about going someplace. I mean actually sitting inside in the airplane. I especially love those long haul flights leaving in the mid-morning, when I’m wide-awake and well rested.
Being on a plane gives me guilt-free time to do nothing that is “obligatory” (particularly if I’m traveling without my children!). I read. Or watch a frivolous “chick-flick”. Or reflect and just “be”. I have time to ruminate and meditate.
As we strive to achieve success in our lives, we need to make sure it’s a well-rounded success – not just moving up some corporate ladder or accumulating more zeroes in our bank balances. We need to also be successfully engaging with others, contributing to the greater good, and having meaning in our lives.
Studies very clearly show that for those of us who are meeting our basic needs, only 10% of what determines whether we are happy (overall) is life circumstances. This 10% includes all that glitters – those diamond rings and shiny new things.
Genetics contributes to 50% of our overall happiness. Not much we can do about that. But 40% of our happiness is determined by intentional activities – things we deliberately and actively do.
It’s a good reminder to take charge of our personal happiness. Don’t wait until your forced to do it on the plane. Fill your day with positive emotions. Build a Lego spaceship with your daughter. Make time to journal about three good things that happen each day. Read books by your favorite writer. Schedule lunch with your best friend in the middle of the workweek. Pretend you’re on a plane. Intentionally make time to be happy.
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