Weekend Reading: A Happiness Columnist’s Three Biggest Happiness Rules

This article appears as part of Casey Weade's Weekend Reading for Retirees series. Every Friday, Casey highlights four hand-picked articles on trending retirement topics and delivers them straight to your email inbox. Get on the list here.
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Weekend Reading

I’m always interested in learning more about the concept of happiness. After all, isn’t the goal to live a purposeful life as our happiest self?

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3 rules of happiness: Here, happiness correspondent, Arthur C. Brooks, highlights timeless maxims of what helps lend to a life of fulfillment and joy. They include:

📌 1 - Mother nature doesn’t care if you are happy: Despite what some might believe, happiness doesn’t develop by simply following your instincts. Money, power, pleasure and honor are areas many of us naturally chase in pursuit of happiness, but they will always pale in comparison to “a faith or life philosophy, family relationships, real friendships and meaningful work.”

📌 2 - Lasting happiness comes from habits, not hacks: Countless “happy hacks” exist on the internet and promote the idea of a better life with minimal effort. However, habits, or mindful daily practices that revolve around your purpose and meaning, are what will truly create substantial results.

📌 3 - Happiness is love: Brooks says it best; “Happy people love people and use things; Unhappy people use people and love things.” A life focused on giving love and lasting, long-term relationships is just as key to being happy, as it is to being healthy.

My two cents: They say there isn’t a short-cut to happiness, but these are three ways to help get you there.