Jaqueline Zuniga

Professor Ditch

English 115

1 October 2018

Project Space

Attaining Happiness

Happiness is a concept so complex that everyone defines differently. There might be a

true definition out there for happiness but there is no straight definition out there on how to

achieve happiness. Whether you believe happiness is achieved internally or externally there are

plenty of arguments for both. Reading articles from authors such as The Dalai Lama and Howard

Cutler, David Brooks, and Sonja Lyubomirsky all embody that happiness comes within while

altering your space to focusing on yourself rather than materialistic desires. In contrast Graham

Hill emphasizes happiness to be conjoined with your surroundings transforming your space by

paying more attention to life experiences. Everyone achieves happiness differently but these

authors are giving us pointers so we can decide as people what will benefit us in our everyday

lives.

Notice as human beings we always want more, we see this present in the article by Dalai

Lama and Howard Cutler. Breaking down the meaning of always wanting more in the sense that

we are never satisfied. In the article “The Source of Happiness” by The Dalai Lama and Howard

Cutler it states, “When our income suddenly jumps from $20,000 to $30,000 a year, but it’s not

the absolute amount of income that makes us happy, as we soon find out when we get used to our

new income and discover that we won’t be happy again unless we’re making $40,000 a
year”(The Dalai Lama and Cutler 23) giving us a prime example of an unsatisfactory life. With

this boost of money many people think all their problems are solved and they could finally

achieve lasting happiness, but that is not correct according to the authors. Eventually that

excitement dies off and we want more, instead of focusing on ourselves we give our attention to

things we wished we had. These authors want people to alter their space by stopping the need to

“compare ourselves to others” (23) and starting to notice the positive aspects of their life; not

what you wished you had but what you have. The authors focusing their attention on the internal

aspects that can help attain happiness not the money or luxuries but rather yourself.

Now considering life circumstances are not always the best. We need to benefit from

them and find the good rather than dwell as seen in David Brooks article. Not taking the good

from unfortunate situations will leave you suffering. Now, David Brooks article address

suffering when unfortunate events happen and how to benefit from them. In Brooks article

“What Suffering Does” he mentions “suffering drags you deeper into yourself” (Brooks 285)

identifying how much you discover. When going through hard times you spend a lot of time

alone ultimately leading to you learning about yourself. This benefits your happiness because the

next time you encounter such a problem you know how to deal with such a situation and “sense

of their own limitations” (286) meaning you know how to deal with such situations rather than

falling back into suffering. David Brooks wants people to spend time with themselves and

explore themselves. Transforming their space by taking more time to learning and bettering

themselves and to know how to deal with suffering to eventually create a gateway to happiness.

Brooks is bringing his attention to the internal space of a person.

made of. Your behaviors and attitudes play a big role according to the author Sonja

Lyubomirsky. Choosing to do nothing but dwell on circumstances and genetics that you cannot

change is not a way to achieve happiness. This will only lead you to an unsatisfactory life. Sonja

Lyubomirsky in the article “How Happy Are You and Why” brings up a pie chart identifying

that 10% of our happiness is determined by circumstances, 50% to set points and 40% to

intentional activity (Lyubomirsky 184). With 40% still being in our control she emphasis that

“40% of happiness pie chart that’s yours to guide” showing how that percent of our happiness

has nothing to do with external factors. This author brings our attention to the way you chose to

respond to situation or act in certain life circumstances. Suggesting to alter our space by paying

more attention to our activity not necessarily our materials but what we do in our everyday life

and see if it makes us happy. Lyubomirsky focusing on how a good percentage of happiness is

based on us and only us not the external part of our life.

Now taking a look at how impactful your external space is to your happiness is exactly what

Graham Hill is doing. Hill makes it important to emphasize the fact of lasting happiness. All the

luxury items can only get us so far when it comes to happiness; ultimately the joy and excitement

it gives us is only temporary happiness. Graham Hill in the article, “Living with Less A Lot

Less” states “We know that the best stuff in life isn’t stuff at all and that relationships,

experiences, and meaningful work are the staples of a happy life” (Hill 311) expressing how he

truly achieved happiness. Hill wants us to alter our way of spending our money. Instead of

putting money towards luxuries put more into the people you love and memories. Hill wants us

to focus on our eternal life for happiness to see where we can put more of our effort toward.
Transforming the space by focusing on creating happiness by our social surrounding in the

world.

It all starts with us and within according to the authors, The Dalai Lama and Howard

Cutler, David Brooks, and Sonja Lyubomirsky. These authors want us to focus on what’s going

on internally. If we are not happy with our life as it is, the person you are, you will have a hard

time achieving happiness. These authors emphasize on the fact that materialistic and luxuries

will not give you happiness forever. Now if you think from a standpoint of Graham Hill in the

article, “Living with Less A Lot Less” of thinking that “experiences” (Hill 311) is what matters,

for example he stated “I wouldn't trade a second spent wandering the streets of Bangkok with

Olga for anything I owned” (Hill 312). Yes, it is compelling to travel and focus on social aspects

of life but these authors are trying to address the effect that just receiving luxuries and not

working on yourself will eventually hurt you. The luxuries mean nothing shown by all authors.

Happiness is all based on your own actions and how you react. These authors want us to work on

our happiness internally. If you are not grateful for what you have or with yourself you will

struggle to achieve happiness.

Taking a look at your surrounding can definitely help you achieve happiness according to

the author Graham Hill. Putting more effort into the people around you and paying more

attention to the memories you create contribute to the happiness. Hill doesn't agree with spending

money on luxuries but rather spending money to make memories that you will never forget and

ultimately that memory will become priceless. If you are someone who thinks from the

standpoint of the authors The Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler, David Brooks, and Sonja

Lyubomirsky having the mindset that happiness is all on you. As Sonja Lyubomirsky states in
the article “How Happy Are You and Why?” “No one but you know or should tell you how

happy you truly are” (Lyubomirsky 184) showing how everything is in your hands. This could

very well be true but Hill is trying to get people to just shift their focus on their surroundings.

Instead of looking for happiness within take a look outside and everything you are around every

day.

Happiness can be achieved in many ways whether its internally or externally. Your

happiness can come from within or it come from outside. All authors put in valuable point to

take account of when trying to pursue your own happiness. Every attempt is different and every

attempt has its benefits. Ultimately all identify as an internal method or external. If you are

someone that believes it comes within, take a look at The Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler, David

Brooks, and Sonja Lyubomirsky. While if you believe it can be achieved externally look at

Graham Hill. All these authors give us their views on how to achieve long term happiness and

how to transform our space. Now it is up to you to decide which works for you.
 Works cited

Brooks, David. “What Suffering Does.” Pursuing happiness: a Bedford Spotlight Reader, by

Matthew Parfitt and Dawn Skorczewski, Bedford/St. Martin’s, a Macmillan Education

Imprint, 2016, pp. 284-87.

Hill, Graham. “Living with Less A Lot Less.” Pursuing happiness: a Bedford Spotlight Reader,

by Matthew Parfitt and Dawn Skorczewski, Bedford/St. Martin’s, a Macmillan Education

Imprint, 2016, pp. 308-13.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Cutler, Howard. “The Source of Happiness.” Pursuing

happiness: a Bedford Spotlight Reader, by Matthew Parfitt and Dawn Skorczewski,

Bedford/St. Martin’s, a Macmillan Education Imprint, 2016, pp. 21-33.

Lyubomirsky, Sonja. “How Happy are You and Why.” Pursuing happiness: a Bedford Spotlight

Reader, by Matthew Parfitt and Dawn Skorczewski, Bedford/St. Martin’s, a Macmillan

Education Imprint, 2016, pp. 179-197.