How To Become a Happiness Inventor
My partner is an inventor. He creates magical things that have never existed before. Through years of grit and courage, and the persistent application of his talents to a specific question or problem, he turns what was once a scribbled wisp of an idea into something real, something that people can hold and touch and play with and make their own.
He received a few new patents this week (so incredibly proud of him!) and I started to think about how aligned the idea of being an inventor is to what we are trying to do here with The New Happy community.
Our mission here is to create happiness for all beings everywhere. To make that mission a reality, we all need to become inventors, too, but of a different type: we need to become happiness inventors.
A happiness inventor is someone who creates well-being for others in a way that also simultaneously creates well-being for themselves.
Here are a few things that delight me about happiness inventors.
They know that they have something unique to offer.
They invent well-being for all beings, in the way that only they can.
For each of us possess certain talents, strengths, preferences, hopes, and experiences; no one of us is alike in who we are, nor in what we can uniquely contribute to the world. As a happiness inventor, you make the choice to excavate that uniqueness within you and get to work inventing a way to bring it to the world.
Like my partner, who is uniquely talented at creating new innovations, and who is incredibly passionate about bringing more joy, fun, and connection to people’s lives.
Like my friend Shira, who derives so much joy from expressing and receiving love and empathy, and uses that every day in her role as a therapist.
Like a former manager of mine, who loved nothing more than helping people to find and express their truest potential, and found a way to do so every day with his team.
Happiness inventors find the intersection of their individual well-being and the well-being of the collective, and they plant a flag there: here, I will make my mark.
They invent because they know it makes a difference.
An inventor creates, not only because they feel like they uniquely can build something new and great, but also because they feel like there’s a need for it in the world. Every invention serves a different need: it may make the world more beautiful, people’s lives easier, or unlock new previously undreamt-of possibilities. But they don’t invent something with the intention to have it sit, completed but never used, in the lab. It’s invented to do something.
Happiness inventors do the same. They’re doing it to fill a need in the world. They’re doing it to fulfill some sort of purpose, to help others or to contribute in some way. They look at the many gaps and holes, the many forms of suffering, the many opportunities for love, and they choose an area to work with that resonates with them.
They know that it takes work to make real.
To create something new and innovative requires taking action, over and over again, confronting failure, and being resilient. It took James Dyson 5,127 prototypes to invent the bagless vacuum. To invent a better world, it will take many actions, many attempts, and many moments of learning.
Happiness inventors know that there’s a big difference between having a positive value (like kindness) and actually executing upon it.
It takes time to figure out what type of happiness inventor you want to be. Many people seek fulfilling work as the venue for their inventions. Some choose to become incredible leaders who strive to elevate others. Others focus on raising children that will contribute positively to the world. Still others march for justice and advocate for rights. Different stages of your life might require different inventions.
How can you become a happiness inventor?
If you’re a part of this amazing community, you’re probably already a happiness inventor! But if you’re still searching, or perhaps just looking for your next great invention, here are a few short pieces of advice.
Grab a piece of paper. Divide it into three columns. In the left hand column, write down the things that bring you joy and fulfillment and that you find interesting. In the right column, make a list of causes you care about, people you want to help, and problems in the world you’d like to see fixed. In the middle column, write out how you could use the left column to address the right column in some small way.
Now, commit to trying just ONE thing on that list. Finding a purpose can be challenging. Go out there and try something you wrote down, and see how it feels.
Keep going. Creating something great - including a meaningful life - can be incredibly hard. It takes time, understanding, and courage. Everyone feels out of their depth when they first get started on something, but one day, you will look around, and be amazed at where that journey has taken you. Just start now!
How will you become a happiness inventor?
Want some inspiration?
For this week’s links of the week, let’s shine the spotlight on some happiness inventors.
Katie Steller brings her mobile salon chair out to offer haircuts to people experiencing homelessness. “It’s looking at what skill do I have, what gift do I have, and how could that benefit somebody else.”
I absolutely loved this Twitter thread about why we should do good, recklessly. “Whether he was lying or not says something about his character, but hearing someone in need and choosing not to help when I have the means to says something about mine."
And a few more inspiring happiness inventors from The New Happy archives:
Amelia Brodka, who took her love of skateboarding and desire to empower girls and women, and turned it into a nonprofit that is changing the world of female skateboarding.
Maya Appiah, who took her passion for diversity and justice and turned it into a job leading inclusive hiring at Microsoft, co-chair position for the Seattle Immigrant & Refugee Commission, and aboard member with Upwardly Global, an organization devoted to helping skilled refugees find new roles in the United States
Tim Salau, who took his obsession with community and helping others to create the largest online mentoring group in the world and to help young people to find their next great career opportunity