Klaudia Mitura
Hello Happiness Seekers
My name is Klaudia and you are listening to The Happiness Challenge.
This episode is part of the Happiness Reset Campaign where I bring you 25 bitesize episodes to inspire you to refocus on your happiness and fulfilment.
In each short episode I bring you one practical hack to create more happiness at work, in relationships and in your own skin.
Follow me on Linkedin and join my newsletter to share what hacks you are finding useful and to get free tickets to a webinar on the science of happiness that I will be hosting in February.
This happiness hack is about seeking positive experiences.
James Wallman, author of Time and How to Spend it, who I had the pleasure to meet in person (so exciting!), outlines key research on types of positive experiences that can lead to more happiness in our lives. [8]
Let’s take holidays or weekend breaks, for example. Wallman speaks about three types of possible approaches towards leisure time: Fly and Flop, Find and Seek, or Go and Become.
Fly and Flop is about engaging in passive experiences that are well-known to you: eating familiar food, reading magazines, lying in the sun. These are relaxing, which is needed, but are not going to change you as a person.
Find and Seek involves exploring new places and trying something unfamiliar. It is a mini adventure that will help you to generate new stories but one that will be experienced by plenty of other travellers. Imagine a bus tour around London or a walking tour in Barcelona.
Go and Become offers a real chance to learn new skills, meet new people and try a different life for a short period of time. This approach is very personal and involves experiences that shape you as a person. You are seeking this change for personal growth and often those experiences become part of your identity. Consider a weekend away to learn how to paint or running a race with others to raise money for a good cause.
As much as we need all three types of experiences in our lives, Wallman confirms that experiences that are transformative, which bring a change to help you to grow, learn and develop as a person, are what brings the most happiness to our lives.
Also, the above types are not only applicable to holidays but can be extremely useful when it comes to deciding how to spend your free time. At the end of a busy week, you can Fly and Flop in front of the TV, Find and Seek some time with a friend to play sport or Go and Become in a cooking class run by a new neighbour. The last one takes the most effort, courage and time and yet it will result in more happiness! [9]
So I dare you to Design your upcoming weekend with the Go and Become approach in mind so that you can learn a new skill, meet new people or try a different activity for a short period of time.
Thank you for listening to the Happiness Reset Campaign, I hope this happiness hack is useful and impactful. Listen to episode: #20: How to spend your time wisely
I would love you to share this happiness hack with others and subscribe to my podcast and newsletter so you don't miss out on any future hacks. Thank you again for listening and I dare you to be happy. Bye
