Jacob Davenport

Happiness is the result of constant striving towards satisfying life goals, not the end itself. With apologies to Dr. Laurie Santos for oversimplifying, here are the secrets to happiness.

1. Purpose. Everyone needs to work on something that helps others, be it taking good care of your dog or taking good care of the world environment. You get to pick your purpose, and it can change. You may have many different purposes. “Making money” is not a purpose, it’s a means to a purpose. “Being happy” is not a purpose, it’s the result of satisfying these goals.

2. Community. A group that sees you and accepts you. It does not need to be a large group. Certainly, there are toxic groups and difficult people, and those are the ones that don’t accept you, don’t respect you, and don’t encourage you. Those are worse than being lonely. Even the most introverted people need a good community, one which accepts they are introverts.

3. A Future. A path that leads to where you want to go. It may be a plan for just the next week, or the next decade. It will change, that’s fine, but you need some goals to work towards.

4. Enough Money. Being rich will not make you happy by itself, but being poor is miserable. Being poor is expensive, and adds incredible stress. You need enough money to get by, and while extra is nice, it does not guarantee happiness. Money can make the other goals easier, but only if that’s what you use it for. A life of luxury, in and of itself, does not lead to happiness; much to the surprise of everyone without money.