What can Millennials teach everyone else about happiness?
The Happify study concluded that some Millennials place far too much emphasis on work as the key to their happiness.
The Millennial Bloggers are based all over the world. They are innovators in entrepreneurship, journalism, education, entertainment, health and well-being and academic scholarship. This month we asked them to share their lessons in life and the pursuit of happiness.
How does James Kernochan pursue happiness? He wholeheartedly recommends the arts: “watching, hearing, doing, dancing, reading, laughing, crying, rolling your eyes and nodding your head.” For James, the arts elicit joy “with an amplitude and verve that transport us to vantage points that our careers will likely never take us.” Read: You Can Have It All (Not The Oprah Version)
“We’ll be happy only as long as we don’t perceive that what we do is actually ‘work’ at all,” writes Harmony Siganporia; so “how could someone paying me to read, write, teach and basically live the life of the mind I was born to live actually be considered something as base as, gasp, work?” She concludes that remembering to leave campus each day is important “because there’s happiness to be found in that to.” Read: Happiness (or Something That Tastes a Heck of a Lot Like It)
How “happy” she is feeling is “definitely influenced by a successful work week,” writes Isadora Baum. “There’s always more to achieve, with new ways to expand, make money, and follow a sense of purpose, aligned with passion.” While past Generations might have considered building a family as the epitome of happiness, Isadora says “millennials are often getting married and having kids later in life.” Read: How Work & Happiness Are Linked Among Millennials
“Americans, young and old, are more prone to anxiety, depression, addiction, and loneliness than ever before,” writes Francisco Hernandez. “What does it mean to live in an ingeniously engineered world which almost no one seems to like very much?” Read: America Depressed
What makes an individual successful? Wilson Carter has studied the habits of many and says that the happiest and most successful do three things. “They give gratitude, whether it is through prayer or mediation. They work on their personal goals and strive each day to grow as an individual, and they give back.” Read: The Pursuit of Happiness
Jacob Navarette asks that we savor the “wonder of the moment” and so eat “the extra scoop of ice cream, nap a few more minutes, buy the boots in the window” and “remember that everyone no matter where they come from wants to feel loved, a sense of purpose, valued and heard.” Read: Happiness is As Happiness Does
A society that dictates what “is and isn’t acceptable for us, what we are good at, what’s beautiful, who to trust/love, how to dress, eat, behave etc.” often works against our well-being,” writes Alusine Barrie, who admits that his pursuit of well-being is shaped by standing back from his experiences “to see the lessons hidden inside books, articles, blogs and videos as well as advices/opinions of people” he encounters in life. Read: Keep an eye on your ego, understand fear, and breathe life into your dreams for a happier life
“The evening slowed down and in the quiet of my apartment (incense burning in the background) I realised that I chose this day,” writes Dominique Dryding. “Happiness is the decision to smile at the beeping sound of a new day rather than furrow my brow and sigh with disbelief.” Read: I Choose It
How does a career affect happiness? Kamna Kathuria reflects on being a teacher in India; being somebody’s role model. “There were a hundred children who looked up to me, who expected me to help them learn. The purpose gave me strength. The relationships gave me joy.” Read: Sipping Happiness & Brewing Joy
The Millennial Bloggers are Alusine Barrie, Sajia Darwish, James Kernochan, Kamna Kathuria, Jacob Deleon Navarrete, Reetta Heiskanen, Shay Wright, Isadora Baum, Wilson Carter III, Francisco Hernandez, Erin Farley, Dominique Alyssa Dryding, Harry Glass, Harmony Siganporia and Bonnie Chiu.
(All Photos are courtesy of CMRubinWorld)
Top Row: C.M. Rubin, Alusine Barrie, Sajia Darwish, James Kernochan
2nd Row: Kamna Kathuria, Jacob Deleon Navarrete, Reetta Heiskanen, Shay Wright
3rd Row: Isadora Baum, Wilson Carter III, Francisco Hernandez, Erin Farley
Bottom Row: Dominique Alyssa Dryding, Harry Glass, Harmony Siganporia, Bonnie Chiu
Join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (U.S.), Dr. Leon Botstein (U.S.), Professor Clay Christensen (U.S.), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (U.S.), Dr. MadhavChavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (U.S.), Professor Andy Hargreaves (U.S.), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (U.S.), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Honourable Jeff Johnson (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. EijaKauppinen (Finland), State Secretary TapioKosunen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Lord Ken Macdonald (UK), Professor Geoff Masters (Australia), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Pak Tee Ng (Singapore), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (U.S.), Richard Wilson Riley (U.S.), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Professor Manabu Sato (Japan), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (U.S.), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (U.S.), Yves Theze (LyceeFrancais U.S.), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (U.S.), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today.
The Global Search for Education Community Page
C. M. Rubin is the author of two widely read online series for which she received a 2011 Upton Sinclair award, “The Global Search for Education” and “How Will We Read?” She is also the author of three bestselling books, including The Real Alice in Wonderland, is the publisher of CMRubinWorld and is a Disruptor Foundation Fellow.
Follow C. M. Rubin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@cmrubinworld
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