Martin Seligman, leader of the positive psychology movement, recently gave a TED talk on three different types of happy lives:
1. The pleasant life is about gathering as many pleasures as possible
2. The engaged life is about doing that about which you are so passionate that time stops while you are doing it
3. The meaningful life is about using your core strengths to engage with something greater than yourself, often in service.
The first style provides pleasure as long as one is engaged in the pleasurable activities, but these often habituate and so, just like with drugs, require more and more of them while providing no long-lasting effects. The other two styles offer a depth beyond the momentary experience.
Look at the TED talk, check out Martin’s website, and contact me if you’d like some personal coaching on creating the style of happy life which best serves you at this time of your life.
http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FBxfd7DL3E