“What makes me thrive and satisfied with my life?” I am sure almost all of you have asked this question at least once in your lifetime. I asked myself this many times and decided to study psychology, and more specifically, positive psychology, as I want to fully understand the human being from a scientific point of view.
Finding out what brings life satisfaction to an individual not only helps
this person feel at ease with oneself, but also improves our harmonious coexistence in society. As society is filled with different characters, opinions, and wishes, sometimes it can be difficult for us to live alongside each other. To make living with so many different people harmonious, we have to start with ourselves. When I am not at ease with myself, how can I be respectful to my surroundings? To people, nature, and animals? By being more accepting of ourselves, we can be more accepting of others, which could possibly prevent a lot of problems.
This is one focus of positive psychology. The scientific field was formally evolved in 1998 by Martin Seligman and his colleagues, and is the science of a successful and fulfilling life.
Dancing with my family, having nightlong talks with my friends, and playing handball with my great team—these are some of the moments that make me happy. But life is not just a sum of happy moments. There are ups and downs, which might make it look like a roller coaster ride. What can help us get through rough times is having a high level of satisfaction in life. This is associated with having a personally-chosen meaning of life and contributing to something bigger.
For example, I have joined a group that implements different projects like planting trees, collecting food for people in need, and organizing camps for children from difficult social backgrounds. I also voluntarily started holding game nights with people who share common interests with me. I am grateful to gain the trust and openness of my game partners, who have different kinds of disabilities. Their positivity and sometimes different view of things has allowed me to develop further.
Being part of a community doing good makes me feel satisfied even when I am sad, angry, or disappointed. As long as I know that I am following my personally-chosen meaning of life, and can contribute to something bigger with other people, I will truly be able to enjoy the roller coaster ride of life.
My dream is to make the world a better place and to contribute to its well-being. For this dream, I want more people to learn about positive psychology. Finally, I want to ask you, “What gives your life meaning?”