The beauty of the Pursuit of Happiness is that no matter who you are, where you live, what you know, when you were born, or who you love, you can be happy. True happiness is above the five W’s and so are you. Learn how to find happiness in the good and bad times of life. Believe it. Read it. Be happy.
Joe Douglas
– Editor-in-Chief –
At the beginning of the semester, I wrote my first issue of my column on how imperative, even vital having the right perspective is in being happy. It’s important to bring the subject back up again, especially as the spring semester comes to a close and finals begin.
Finals are important and can make or break the grade in the class. Many students see finals as the most stressful time of year, and summer is the reward for hard work. This is similar to how we often think about going to school, going to work, or going to a family event. If it’s not appealing, it’s a boring, inevitable obstacle that we must overcome in order to have free time.
In “How We Choose to be Happy” by Rick Foster and Greg Hicks, they analyze the nine similarities all happy people share. One of these is appreciation for the present, and not focusing on the regrets or nostalgia of the past nor the anxieties of the future. William, as identified in the book, says he sees life as a movie composed of tiny scenes that fit together to create a dramatic and intriguing story.
“I look at every episode of my life as just the next scene—it might be good or it might be bad, but it’s the next experience I get to have. I like to appreciate each scene for what it is. Whether it’s comedy, drama or tragedy, I value it because it’s a part of my unique story,” William says.
As long as activities or events are seen as obstacles, walls or forgettable experiences, we’re creating barriers between ourselves and unconditional happiness. By taking William’s approach to seeing finals as just another scene in life, as opposed to a painful, dramatic conflict, the climax of the plot becomes an experience for the star, you, battling the academic institution. As the hero walks out of the final exam bruised and beaten, but alive, he or she walks out as a survivor, creating an open-ended resolution that leads into the sequel.
While many people don’t have the same level of imagination as William, the point is taking joy in the moment. Whether it’s positive or negative, happy people see obstacles as learning and growing experiences, or in William’s case, a story’s conflict the hero must tackle in order to save the day.
I just took my first final yesterday, May 3 for my online Biology of Human Health and Disease class. As I studied, I tried not to pay attention to my anxiety about the final because it only makes studying more difficult. I tried to see it as a chance to prove and improve my abilities as a student in the face of my most difficult class. When I approached my final, I was nervous, but not scared. I wasn’t worried about how I would do because I was as prepared as I could be; it was up to the hero to fight off the evil 100-multiple-choice monster.
A change in perspective can be applied to all of life’s stressful events. The next time you feel the overwhelming anxiety of an interview, exam, presentation or meeting someone new, a change in perspective can always help.
You have the right to pursue happiness. Find it. Live it. Be happy.
