“The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
~Mitch Albom
In case you missed ‘em, here’s part 1 and part 2.
Shortly after writing The Happy Formula chapter for the book, Codes of Longevity, I received another UNEXPECTED invitation. This one from The MedFit Network, a national organization of health and wellness professionals, to develop a one-hour workshop about entrepreneurship. The workshop was so well received, they asked if I’d develop an eight-week course. The focus of the course would center around my philosophies for developing a healthy, happy life.
This opportunity took me on a six-month long endeavor into clearly distilling to others everything I’d been learning on my beautiful journey of my great big change of heart. Throughout the spring and into the summer of 2021, I was immersed in the development of The Philosophy of YOU and Your (inspired) Life.
It was during the research for our eCourse, that the Happy Formula got exponentially powered up. I stumbled upon an article called The Science Behind the Power of Giving on LiveScience.com. The article said:
Scientific data proves that when we’re giving to others, we experience a euphoric feeling that researchers call the “helper’s high.” It seems that when we make somebody else happy, we become happier ourselves.
The article moved me to further redefine and focus my thinking. So, I updated my Happy Formula:
From: Capacity + Purpose = Happy
To: Capacity + Purpose + Giving = really Happy
I loved learning that science affirms the amazing power that giving has to improve one’s life, and I couldn’t agree more. I’ve experienced that euphoric feeling that comes from the fourth element of ‘Significance’[1] — “doing work that creates value for others.” From firsthand experience, I know that the Magic of life comes not from getting more but from giving more!
But there was something more to it. Something was missing and I’d been trying to figure it out, and I began exploring with my inspiring guests on The Something Significant Show.
I’d been thinking about the pure joy that it brings me when a reader is inspired by one of my books and creates a better life, as a result. I can remember at one conference, someone, I’d never met, came up and told me that my book, Turning Inspiration Into Action, “had changed his mom’s life.” I didn’t even know him or his mom but hearing about her reaction to my book was thrilling to me… but why?
Virtually all my guests on the show have had similar experiences. All of them affirmed doing work that creates value for others and lifts them up and helps them to live better lives… well, that brings to the giver absolutely pure, thrilling, joy!!!
And then, one day, it came to me in a flash…
All of my guests… and me too, we’re all living and working from our true, authentic, inspired selves. We’re living in our purpose. My books are pure me—from my heart. If I recommend someone else’s book to you and that improves your life, yes, that will make me happy. But if you read one of my books and it improves your life, well, that’s absolutely thrilling to me (it gave me goosebumps when I first wrote these words!) Because I’m not just giving you something of value. No, I’m giving you a piece of my true, authentic, inspired self. A real piece of me. From my soul. So, it’s deeply personal and meaningful and it’s my reason for being on this planet, my ikigai. And so, when you get value from that, WOW! It creates a great BIG profound joy within me. Every. Single. Time.
So, it’s not just the giving that’s magical. It’s giving from living in my purpose. That’s where my magic is. And that’s where yours is, too!
Here’s more from the LiveScience article:
Today, scientific research provides compelling data to support the notion that giving one’s time, talents and treasures is a powerful pathway to finding purpose, transcending difficulties, and finding fulfillment and meaning in life.
So, giving does more than just make us happier. Giving also helps us discover our purpose in life. The act of giving itself can be a gateway to discovering your reason for being on this planet. And giving from living in your purpose creates in the giver a profound joy!!!
So, PURPOSE and GIVING make this great big happy circle. Giving your time, and talents and treasures is a powerful pathway to finding purpose and giving from living in your purpose brings profound joy to your life.
Giving leads to purpose and giving from purpose leads to joy!
So, I had to tweak the equation just a bit more to reflect the exponential power of the Happy Formula:
Capacity x Purpose x Giving = Happy to the 3rd Power… and that’s really, truly, deeply Happy.
Discovering the exponential power of The Happy Formula supercharged my inner-spirit along this life-altering journey I’ve been on. In part 4, I’ll reveal how Darth Vader entered my life, in an UNEXPECTED way, to bring me the second book responsible for my eleven-year-long (and counting) transformation and how it completed and permanently locked-in my great big change of heart.
Here’s a hint…
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
I’m wishing you all the Happy in life that you can possibly imagine…
With love,
In case you missed ‘em, here’s part 1, part 2.
[1] At Happy Living, we define “significance” as ‘doing work you love, with people you love, in places you love, AND creating something of value for others while you’re at it.’