There have been lots of articles in the papers recently about a new study showing that we as a society were far happier in the mid 1950’s than we are now!  WHAT?  That can’t be right!  We have the internet, we have mobile phones, e-mail, great cars and entertainment on tap.  We can even hop on a plane and spend the weekend in Reykjavik, and be back in time to watch Top Gear.  Surely we must be happier now than the post WWII 1950’s?

Well, it’s true.  In spite of all the high tech improvements around us and the wealth we’re swimming in,  the demand for anti-depressants is on an astronomical high.  A few months ago, I had a client who was a high profile member of a ruling family.  My client decided to go out for dinner along with the entourage.  I was very generously asked to join them.  The food, service and venue were truly unforgettable.  As the evening progressed, I found out that nine out of the twelve members of the entourage were on anti-depressants such as Prozac and Zoloft, and anti-anxiety pills such as Xanex.  I came back to my relatively small life feeling like an emotional billionaire.

Prince Charles very eloquently once said that: “We have become slaves to technology, instead of its Master”.  True, we have e-mail, but we stress about it and check it hundreds of times a day.  We have mobile phones, yet we answer it with tension and worry.  Even the convenience of SMS messaging has become a tool for receiving speedy bad news such as being fired, dumped by a partner, and even bullying among school children.  We have very safe and technologically advanced cars to make our lives easier, yet road rage is everywhere.  The most hypnotic machine, also known as the ever popular television can provide us with 500 plus channels that are constantly telling us how to think and who we have to be in order to be ‘IN’ or ‘Cool’.  We seem lost, confused, angry and worst of all we’re existing, not living.  We constantly hear of the scarcity of time, yet we spend it on meaningless trivialities that fill our voids with a vacuum. 

What really matters?  Who are we?  What are we looking for?  What would give our lives meaning and substance?  What can we do to find that increasingly endangered species – the peace of mind we all long for?  The answer to all these questions are in every one of us, and none of the answers will be identical because happiness is so relative.  It is not some generalisation that advertising companies try to ingrain in us in order to buy their products or service.

Imagine for a moment how life would have been like in the 1950’s.  To begin with, greater numbers of families ate together at the table and talked about their day and shared their problems and worries.   There was a sense of innocence that demanded very little, with children being allowed to behave like children and not like a regurgitation from hell.  There was a sense of identity, spirituality and appreciation for everything.  The family unit was generally stronger and we had a greater appreciation for the simple things that really mattered.

There is an ancient Chinese curse that says: “May you live in interesting times”.  Indeed, these are interesting times when divorce is at a rate of 49%, interesting times when alcohol abuse is the number one cause of violence and social misery, and the most interesting of all is how we’re popping anti-depressants like M&M’s when all we really need to do is focus on what we want, be happy about it and cherish our peace.  By having an honest dialogue with ourselves, and exploring who we really are, we can align our daily life to complement the direction we want to go in.  Ultimately, as Napoleon Hill once said: “If you aim at nothing, you generally hit it”.  

I’d like to finish off with what Michael Neill refers to as the 5 rules of happiness:

Rule 1)     If you like something, make sure you enjoy it.

Rule 2)      If you don’t like something – avoid it.

Rule 3)     If you don’t like something, and you can’t or won’t avoid it – change it.

Rule 4)     If you don’t like something, and you can’t or won’t change it – accept it.

Rule 5)     There are no rules for being happy  - just be happy.

Until Next Time……Live, Don’t Just Exist.