Happy?

Martin Seligman looks at what is good about psychology in this interesting TED talk.

He looks at psychology focusing more on how to make people happy instead of looking so much at how to make people less miserable. He breaks happiness into three parts.

1) Pleasure
2) Engagement
3) Meaning

The interesting one for me was the second part. Engagement. Flow. When time stops. When you are doing something that you just enjoy so much that all the other crap in your life just disappears.

He uses the example of an introverted super successful options trader. People would think he was unhappy but from the moment he stepped onto the trading floor to the moment the final bell rang, time stopped, he was absorbed in the flow and he was happy. When he started a bridge tournament, for the next 10 days he was absorbed and he was happy.

I think it is great that when life kicks you in the teeth as it enjoys doing so much, we are able to find something that truly engages us. Something that makes time stop. Something that absorbs you and fascinates you and makes you tick.

I like ticking.

TED makes me tick. Sharing Ideas makes me tick. Painting makes me tick. Presenting makes me tick.

And ticking lets you forget the ^%@#$^@# that happens sometimes.

I am off to tick, catch you later.