Dumb Little Man: Happy Now, Happy Next Year: Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Happiness

Happy Now, Happy Next Year: Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Happiness

Posted: 12 Jul 2011 03:09 PM PDT

How happy are you?

Happiness is becoming a huge area in psychological research and even in government policy, with the UK government exploring a "happiness index". It's tough, though, to define exactly what happiness is, and what makes us happy.

There are two broad ways of looking at happiness, though: short-term happiness (a great cookie, a bottle of wine) and long-term happiness (financial security, achieving your goals).

Both types of happiness are valid, and important. The problem is, they're often in competition.

Let's say you've got a goal of losing 50lbs this year. You know you'd be happier and healthier if you weren't carrying that extra weight. To achieve long-term happiness, you need to go on a diet.

In the short-term, though, it's not that easy. A slab of chocolate cake, or a large glass of wine, might seem like just the thing to cheer you up at the end of a long day – or to celebrate with friends.

It's the same with lots of other goals. Perhaps you want to save up money for a fantastic holiday abroad in five years time – but in the short term, that means cutting back on eating out and buying new DVDs.

Or maybe you're trying to get qualified for a new career – something that would make you much happier in the future, but that requires a lot of hard work right now.

Looking to the Long-Term
Most of us find it much easier to see immediate rewards – and consequences – than ones which are years away.

If you want to achieve your goals over months or years, try:

Creating a vision board or another visual reminder of your goals, so that they're constantly in front of you

Breaking your dream into smaller steps, so that you've got something more immediate to focus on

Writing down your reasons for pursuing this goal, so you can go back to your list whenever your motivation flags

You might even want to hire a life coach to help you stay on track: accountability, and expert support, can make a huge difference. (If you're not sure about coaching or want some suggestions on how to coach yourself, life coach Tim Brownson has a great free ebook called "What the Hell is Life Coaching?")

Don't pin all your hopes of happiness on some far-off future, though. There's no point working a 60 hour week and making yourself thoroughly miserable in the belief that things will be perfect as soon as you're making a six figure salary.

Life is for Living – Right Now
If you've got a tendency to prioritize long-term happiness at the expense of day-to-day pleasures, then start looking for some small ways to bring a little joy back into your life.

I'm not suggesting that you go out and get drunk every night, or that you stuff yourself with cake or go on a spending spree. There are plenty of other ways to enjoy yourself.

How about:

Setting a budget for discretionary spending, so that you can buy magazines, computer games, books or whatever it is you enjoy

Looking for forms of exercises that you find fun – exercise boosts your mood right now, but also improves your health over weeks, months and years

Giving yourself time each day for leisure activities. (And I know TV gets a bad rap, but I personally think there's nothing wrong with watching your favorite show once in a while.)

Of course, the best activities are ones that you enjoy right now, but that also help you build a happier future.

How happy are you? Do you need more long-term or short-term happiness in your life? Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments.

Written on 7/12/2011 by Ali Luke. Ali writes a blog, Aliventures, about leading a productive and purposeful life (get the RSS feed here). As well as blogging, she writes fiction, and is studying for an MA in Creative Writing.

Photo Credit: shawnzrossi

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