Welcome to the New Happy!
Hello!
Welcome to the first edition of the New Happy newsletter, where I will cover the why and the how of this whole thing, and my hopes for what it will provide for you.
For most of my adult life, I’ve been studying happiness and well-being. And I’ve come to realize that we have an enormous problem to address. We live in a world that tells us that happiness comes from the acquisition of things that are outside of us: namely, that if we become wealthier, more beautiful, more successful, or more popular, we will be happy.
If you’ve given this approach a shot (like I have), you might have learned that it does not work; moreover, it often leads you down the opposite trail, towards unhappiness. And yet, the cultural and societal messages we receive about this form of happiness - what I call Old Happy - are so pervasive, insidious, and adept at penetrating their tentacles into our minds and hearts. It makes it very hard to find and follow a different path.
But there is another way. I call it New Happy. It is the pursuit of the greatest happiness for all beings everywhere (which includes you!)
What is the New Happy?
I know, based on my years of research and application, that the way to experience true, lasting happiness for yourself is to practice New Happy. Funnily enough, learning the skill of New Happy is also how you make an impact on others and the world. The two are completely intertwined! It is nothing less than life-changing, and if practiced by more and more people, world-changing. Our world desperately needs us to feel and practice more concern for our neighbors and for our common humanity, and I believe that New Happy is the very best way to change your life and to positively impact the lives of the people around you.
The New Happy has three core messages:
Happiness matters. To be happy is the aim of human life; we are here to experience more joy, fulfillment, and love. It is a central, important, and individualized concern for each of us.
Old Happy is not serving us. Numerous studies have found that happiness has not increased despite a substantial improvement in wealth and health for the majority of the world’s population. We need a new model.
New Happy is the pursuit of happiness for all beings, believing that every person in the world is someone who aspires to be happier and to avoid suffering. The path to New Happy is to cultivate love and wisdom (a lot more about this later!) We serve ourselves through the cultivation of love and wisdom, which then are used to serve humanity … and so the cycle goes, perpetuating upward, on and on.
What will you get from this?
My goal here is to serve you, the reader, by helping you to find ways of practicing New Happiness in your life, transforming it from a philosophical ideal to a very practical, actionable way of being, something that can be lived at every moment (thus making each moment one that has the potential for joy and impact). I want to help you to achieve these goals - your own happiness and the happiness of others - in a fun, easy way. I have spent many years sifting through the research, testing it out in my own life, and teaching it to others; I know that it is possible to truly transform your life and your world by living in this way.
Each week, I will provide you with inspiration and suggestions for cultivating New Happiness in your own life. This will include:
Interviews with New Happiness exemplars
Actionable tips and ways to take action
Insights gleaned from scientific research
Inspirational and illuminating stories
New Happiness offers you the experience of a happy, meaningful life: enduring well-being even while experiencing sadness, unprecedented goodness even in the face of adversity, and the development of a skill that can transform the lives of the people around you.
What comes next?
Starting next week, you will receive a weekly newsletter. If you find it valuable, please consider sharing it with people who you think would resonate with the message. If you find it extraneous or unhelpful, please feel free to unsubscribe at any point. I hope that it serves you on your journey!
Questions, ideas, or a story to share?
Please reach out to me at stephanie@thenewhappy.com - I would so love to hear from you!