The topic of the importance to know our own life values to be happy is present in several books and courses (Benjamin Franklin – An American Life, Drive, Finding Purpose and Meaning In Life: Living for What Matters Most, Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai, Introduction to Self-Determination Theory, The Happiness Trap ).
So I decided to know more about it.

What are life values?

Life values are:

• what is important for a person in his life.
• beliefs

Why do we have life values?

Life values help us to decide how to behave in our life and what is the right thing to do. Therefore life values define our actions.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness means awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.

Paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment means focusing on what we are feeling in the present moment with our senses.

Non judgmentally means letting go all the thoughts that may arise when we focus in the present moment.

What is mindfulness for? What are the main effects of mindfulness?

Mindfulness is mainly used to reduce the negative effects of our thoughts.

What are needs?

Needs are necessities that, if satisfied, lead to well-being.

Why do we have needs?

Needs are a way our brain use to highlight what we need to live well. They are an evolutionary mechanism that is used to create the necessity to satisfy those needs and facilitate the engage of behaviours that maximize the likelihood to survive and live well.

Therefore needs define our behaviours. We engage in a particular behaviour if we believe that this behaviour can lead to desired goals and to the satisfaction of our needs.

Some scientific researches suggest that having a strong purpose in life and living coherently to this purpose improves health. Also the course Find Purpose and Meaning in Life of University of Michigan suggests that having a strong purpose in life positively affects well-being and therefore contributes to happiness. I want to live an healthy and happy life, so I want to explore more about the topic.

What is life purpose?

Life purpose is the ultimate reason of what we do in our life. It is what:

What are beliefs?

• Beliefs are:
  • what we think is true about the world we live in.
  • a way that our brain has to represent and simplify the world we live in.

Let’s say for example that Paul was raised in a family where hard work was considered a virtue. From a young age, he observed his parents and grandparents putting in relentless effort to achieve their goals. As a consequence, Paul believes that hard work is a way to have success in life. So he studied a lot in school, he always works hard at work and in his personal life following his passions. Hard work leads to success have become one of Paul’s core belief in his life.

Index

• The importance to suspend judgement
• How to know when to suspend judgement
• The importance of time in make decisions (To be done)

Related Questions:

Related Topics:

References