[LIFESTYLE] Finding Happiness in Family

[LIFESTYLE] Finding Happiness in Family

by | Jun 9, 2015 | | 0 comments

When have you been truly happy?

Today, I was happy. Yesterday I was happy. Tomorrow, I will probably be happy.

Happiness is a combination of genetics, circumstances and personal choices.

Indeed, one can argue that any one of these elements is crucial, but I believe that people are the embodiment of all 3. People, in my opinion, are a great determining factor in our happiness.

How does that work?

Every day when I walk through the door and see my wife smiling at me, I know I’m home. When my 3 year old son runs up and tells me how much he missed me during the day, I know I’m valued. When my 9 month old son smiles at me and reaches for me to pick him up, I know I’m loved. To me, success is about making my family proud. If I have done that, then I can say I’m happy.

I know that not everyone has the same family dynamics as me. That’s okay. There is no rule to say that genetic make-up is the only way to define “family” bonds.

I am convinced that our greatest source of happiness can be found within our own personal communities. What man has found joy in the loneliness of solitude? What woman has been so eager to share a personal victory with no-one?

Family

It is said that you don’t get to choose your family. While that is correct in the literal sense, relatives and family are not always the same. The bonds formed within our social worlds can (and often do) surpass those inherent with consanguinity. Blood does not always create family.

I challenge you to take an inventory of yourself and the relationships you have built. Look at the people you have surrounded yourself with and those you consider to be your “family.” Do they demonstrate some of the basic principles a strong family would like love, respect, forgiveness, encouragement, humility and altruism?

If not, start building a foundation of people who truly care for you. I promise you that when you have a family (literal or not) that truly loves and supports you – you can find real happiness. When love is present, there is beauty all around.

To uncover true happiness, find and surround yourself with people who love you. After all, as Robert A. Heinlein said: “Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” In a true family, we find happiness…in one another.

Author: Shelly Kramer

Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years' experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging development, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly's coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”