The art of happiness

There seems to be an ever-increasing pressure to do more, fill our time with anything and everything, and a constant stream of images and advertising which want us to live glossier, faster paced lives setting the bar ever higher. And all of this against a backdrop of progressively gloomier news and world stories which become a battle of fake news and alternative facts. No wonder at times it feels hard to be happy.

And what is happiness? We know when we’ve got it and we equally know when we do not, yet it seems difficult to define. It’s also possible to be happy in one moment, and not in the next. A goal, therefore, of happiness almost seems futile. The NewStatesman published an article “The pursuit of happiness: what is happiness, and how can we make ourselves happier?”. Unsurprisingly, the article does not reveal the secrets to happiness as this would be an impossible task. It is down to each of us to work out what makes us happy, and then do it. And this is where coaching can help.

Coaching allows you to work out what is going well, what could be going better and what, quite frankly, you could completely stop doing. With some well-defined goals, precise enough to give you a sense of purpose and an even greater sense of success when you get there, yet flexible enough to allow you to adapt as your circumstances change, life can suddenly feel better. Better because you are in control, better because you are recognising what is already good, and better because you are doing something about the rest.