Happiness, Relationships and Personal Development - Essay Example

Happiness, Relationships and Personal Development Part One: Happiness In the movie, Happiness 101, Tal Ben-Shahar describes happiness as the feelings of satisfaction, as well as, having positive emotions. He states that happiness exists between suffering and pain. His approach in combining scientific studies, spiritual enlightenment and scholarly research to teach people on how to become happy is compelling enough and indeed very outstanding. The analysis of the process of achieving happiness clearly indicates how he applied the principles of scientific research (Compton and Hoffman 93). In my opinion, Shaharhas impacted my approach to different aspects of life. First, one should accept his/her emotions such as sadness, anxiety or fear in order to achieve happiness. The descriptions made by the author contributed to my understanding of what underlies many emotions and thoughts. The author suggests that one should be human in which for my case, it is a problem. For the last few weeks, I have been so unhappy during class time and even in the field, but, the movie has given me some insights of a happier future. Accepting that I also have the negative emotions such as fear and anxiety forms the basis for my happiness in the coming days. Secondly, engaging in tasks that are enjoyable and significant also contributes to happiness (Compton and Hoffman 94).It is important to have some moments of joy when at school so as to elongate one’s lifetime. The movie creates a new understanding of how one can seek happiness from relevant people such as friends, family and relatives. The fact that happiness depends on one’s state of mind is also compelling. This part of the movie is very useful to the bankrupt men and women, failures of the class and more. On my part, I have realized that one can “construct” happiness even when times are hard at home or school. One ought not to wait for the end of a hardship period in order to achieve happiness (Compton and Hoffman 95). Part Two: Personal Development In his book “True North,” Bill George invites the learners to integrate on what they learn about their past and present lives. George advises students to identify the preferences and strengths of their past actions and decisions in order to formulate their personal development plans. On my part, the past decisions include avoiding trusting my friends too much, engaging in class discussions and seeking mentors to improve my social skills in life. 1) First, physical development will maintain my joy for the next five years. I plan to engage more in swimming, dancing and playing football. I also plan to improve my diet by eating nothing but lots of starch, protein and vegetables. Eating chicken and peanut butter will be compulsory in every week. It is important to balance between eating and physical activities in order to become physically fit, that is, to have a body mass index (BMI) compatible with my height and age. I want to be a physically fit guy in a variety of games such as volleyball, soccer and hockey after five years. During the five years, I plan to research more about the architectural works of art both in history and the present. In this way, I will gain specific knowledge in designing pictures and other paintings and, as a result, become an outstanding person in my class.Being mentioned by the lectures in the theatres because of my artistic designs will always make me happy. After graduating from university, I plan to become the most famous designer in Maryland. To improve my social skills, I plan seek mentors to guide me on how to deal with relationships (Compton and Hoffman 100). Good relationships with both girls and boys are the key source of joy and strength in my school life. After the professor of psychology guides me, I will ensure that I participate in class discussions, formal meetings, as well as delivering speeches. By the end of the five years, I want to become a charismatic leader who is influential and commanding especially during meetings. Also, I plan to increase my level of participation in church activities. In this way, I will develop my personal attributes such as empathy, congruence and positive regard. Being able to understand how my friends are feeling whilst in trouble will maintain my happiness (Compton and Hoffman 102). I believe that these attributes are well taught by the religious leaders in our university. After the four years, I plan to deliver services to the clients in a more appealing way since I will be congruent and empathetic enough during the interactions with people. 2) As I stated earlier, good relationships with my friends bring joy and happiness to my life. At times, I feel weak and exhausted, but, when I talk with my friends, my ego is boosted and I feel more of a self-confident man commanding the whole world. I plan to increase my scope of friends in the coming years through attending school functions. I also plan to engage in the student organizations specifically in the church in order to reach more new people during the weekend challenges and trips to other universities. I also plan to improve my relationships with the external community through engaging in the launching of new students’ initiatives and products at local levels. In this way, I will become more self-confident, inspiring and motivating thus qualifying to be a charismatic leader. 3) I have also prioritized the personal development plans in the next five years. First, intellectual development is the most crucial part that contributes not only to my happiness, but also, to my overall personal growth in life. It includes researching more on creating works of art. Secondly, improving my relationships with my friends is next in the priority list. The next priority plans involve developing physically by eating chicken and peanut butter on a weekly basis, as well as, swimming and playing during my leisure time. In the next step, I will seek mentors who will develop my emotional skills such as being self-confident and patient. Engaging in church activities follows in my priority list. The final plans in my list involve reaching out to the outside community through meetings. 4) In order to maintain balance among various aspects of life, one ought to be keen while making some compromises and sacrifices (Compton and Hoffman 108). For the next five years, I will sacrifice on some of the plans of personal development, which are divided into categories. First, the compromises I am willing to make include seeking mentors to develop my personal skills and attending church functions in search for spiritual growth. Secondly, the compromises I am not willing to make include researching more on the designing techniques, as well as, eating well, playing and swimming. 5) Bill George describes the “sources of satisfaction” focusing on professional and organizational commitments that one have in life. He adds other aspects of life related to family, emotional and spiritual development. From my perspective, the fact that I will be happy while working in the arts and design sector of the construction industry will greatly impact my life. I prospect that, in the coming years, I will be very happy while at work and, as a result, creating more happiness in other aspects of life including relationships. In the future, I speculate that I will focus more on charismatic leadership style while at work in order solve the existing problems such as impunity and corruption in many sectors of the economy. In this way, I will have established my position in the society. Focusing on my family and friends’ relationship is another orienting principle in my life in the future. I prospect that, having good relationships with friends and family in the future will improve my abilities in being inspirational and motivating while at work. Part Three: Giving Voice to Values In the case study entitled “Inflating Value (A), Jack should consider some alternatives before voicing his opinions about the companies that should form the peer group for ABC Lighting Company. Similarly, he can prospect the possible consequences that can arise before he raises his concerns to the company. In this case, Jack should not first give the list of the companies that should constitute the peer group for ABC so as to ensure job security. As stated in the case study, the original valuation of ABC would be beneficial to the bankers, analysts, associates and the managing director. Since Jack is conducting his first live deal, he should not give opinions that would lead to losses to the investment bank. He should not speak up his views about the valuation so as to secure a job even after graduation from the university. However, if Jack feels much compelled to give his opinions about the most appropriate companies to the management team, he should approach his associate. He should present his list of companies that best fit in the peer group and the valuation work that he believes defines the net worth of the company ABC. They should compare it with the original peer group and decide what to do before forwarding the work to the managing director. In this way, Jack would have relieved his discomfort with the original valuation work and, as a result, secure his internship at that moment. Works Cited Compton, William and Hoffman, Edward. Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness and Flourishing. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013. Print. Read More