The recipe for happiness can be a metaphor for the nutrients in our food. We need nutrients for
growth, both physically and mentally. People who do not get the required nutrient or a balanced
diet becomes deficient or malnourished.
Similarly, we need happiness to make us flourish in life. Happiness has its components –
satisfaction, pleasure or enjoyment, and meaning.
- Meaningful life. According to Martin Seligman, meaning comes from serving something
beyond yourself and developing the best with you. A meaningful life requires taking
responsibility and extending it to others. It requires making a sacrifice for yourself and
others. - Satisfaction. Satisfaction does not mean having all that you want. Some people have
everything but are never satisfied in life. Others, too, have little but are satisfied.
However, no matter what you have, if you want everything, you will find it difficult to be
happy. - Pleasure or enjoyment. Having a pleasurable moment is part of happiness.
Unfortunately, people sometimes confuse fun or entertainment with being happy in life.
For instance, people can enjoy their favorite drink, food, sporting activity, movies, and
music and think they have happiness. So what happens when you are not having
enjoyment? Imagine lying on your deathbed, asking yourself if you had a good life, and
trying to answer by tallying all the excellent food you had eaten or all the music you have
ever listened to.
Living a happy life can be found in balancing pleasure, satisfaction, and meaningful life.
Writer: Dr. Etepe Dugah