Do you have your resolutions lines up for the New Year yet? How to be happy may be the common thread between all New Year’s resolutions. But could we be overlooking an important factor in getting there?

We all want happiness for ourselves and those we love, right? Whether that means a thinner body, better skin, a new job, different city--it all boils down to feeling good about our lives.

It seems our world has become consumed with the idea of being happy. This “everyone wins” mentality kind of takes the oomph out of achievement and may be glossing over something more important.

One man believed there is more to life than simply being happy. Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl felt that finding meaning in life is the key.

Frankl came to this realization early on in life and it was reinforced during the time he spent in Nazi death camps during the holocaust. The only member of his family to survive the camps, including his pregnant wife, Frankl observed the difference in people who were more resilient to suffering. “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing,” Frankl wrote in his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning“, “the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Whoa. We are not talking a bad day at the office or nagging kids, here. This man figured out how to survive one of the most horrible situations a human can face for days on end. Through positive mental attitude. If that’s not an example for the case of PMA, I don’t know what is.

So, the question is, how do you stay positive in crappy circumstances? We may not be held against our will and tortured daily, but everything is relative and those daily grievances can get you down.

While in the concentration camps, Frankl worked as a therapist to other prisoners. He recalled two suicidal men he helped by getting them to focus on the idea that “life was still expecting something from them”. One man had a young child waiting for him in another country, the other was a scientist with books waiting to be finished.

“A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the “why” for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any “how.” ~Viktor Frankl

In everyday terms this could look like: focusing on playing with your children after a crummy day of work, or envisioning moving on with your life once the divorce is finalized. Keeping your eye on the ball, so to speak, is the way through hard times. And, inevitably, happiness.

Our culture is seemingly obsessed with the how to be happy. If you hop on Amazon and search “happiness” in books, 101 pages of results show up. Yet in 2008 the Center for Disease Control reported only 4 of 10 Americans felt they’d found their life’s purpose. And the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for those ages 15-44 is depression.

Does this mean we are going about seeking happiness all wrong? According to Viktor Frankl, that would be a yes. “To the European,” Frankl wrote, “it is a characteristic of the American culture that, again and again, one is commanded and ordered to ‘be happy.’ But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to ‘be happy.'”

It may be to our advantage if that New Year’s rez looked more like finding meaning than chasing how to be happy. A good place to start? Adding Frankl’s book to your 2016 reading list.

*Disclaimer: Help support EcoSalon! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.

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I’m not the creative type. Have you uttered these words? Guess what, we are all the creative type and need to let that little light shine. Maybe you don’t wish to spend several hours of your day in creation mode. That’s okay. A little dab may do ya. Here’s why being creative leads to a happier, more meaningful existence.

You know when a new book by one of your favorite author’s is about to come out and it feels like Christmas is approaching? That is how I felt about the upcoming arrival of Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest book, “Big Magic.” Well, me and anyone else who loves to write.

This book was going to tell us all about moving through writer’s block and willing up some inspiration. Right? “Big Magic,” which hit the stands last month, is actually more a handbook on living a fulfilled existence. For all of us.

We know that Gilbert can get philosophical. “Eat, Pray, Love” was a pretty deep journey of self discovery, no? So it should come as no surprise that she views inspiration, idea generation, and being creative on a rather cosmic level.

Those who steer clear of anything leaning toward woo-woo may be turned off by the thought of ideas as energy beings. In “Big Magic,” Gilbert shares her take on ideas as having a will of their own and desire to be made manifest in the world. And that if your idea is not brought to fruition in a reasonably timely manner, it will leave you and go to someone else who will make it happen.

Are you having a moment? Or maybe you are ready to quit reading now. Consider this…

All of those times you’ve seen a product or idea working in the world and said to yourself ‘That was my idea!’ you were probably right. It was your idea. Until you didn’t do it and the poor little idea was left no choice but to take up residency somewhere it would receive more attention and better care. You not only missed the opportunity to possibly see success with your idea, you missed out on the creation part.

So what is so important about being creative? Gilbert calls it courage. Taking the leap to do something you really want to do, big or small, is more interesting, fulfilling, and creates more meaning in life than letting fear get the best of you.

Who says we are living in fear? Back to those ideas that didn’t see the light of day. All of the notions let go of and desires tossed aside. What else was holding you back other than fear? As Gilbert maintains, fear and creativity go hand in hand.

You don’t have to create the next big best seller or become a famous artist or anything else so public or celeb status-y. It can be as simple as learning to bird watch or rock collect, taking a karate or piano class, whatever it is that trips your trigger or fires up your curiosity.

Taking these little leaps in life leads to learning, meeting new people, connecting with those you already know in a new way, and offering something up to the world.

The next time one of those ideas makes its way onto your radar, give in and see where it takes you. Take the leap and feel the magic.

*Disclaimer: Help support EcoSalon! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.

Related on EcoSalon

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