I was reading a magazine article recently and this statement provoked some deep thought – “Rather than ask, ‘Am I happy?’, ask ‘Am I doing things that are meaningful?'” instead of asking am I happy? Ask amI doing something meaningful?

I am guilty of wanting to feel happy all the time and especially happy when I’m with my family – I don’t want to waste a precious moment being sad and living with regrets. However is this real and is it achievable? – this is what the article questions you about. It questions our desire and social push for positivity.

The article suggests that you should rather ask am I doing things that are meaningful – because in the moment you may not be happy and yet you can still be embracing meaningful experiences.

Again I am drawn to think of a pendulum and in our humanness it swings from happiness to unhappiness. And to be courageous we need to find our core – the courageous core of meaning!  As I continue to explore this conundrum I feel connected to engaging in meaningful experiences. I believe this reframe has brought benefits:

* feelings of peace
* significance around the experiences being created
* focus on the journey rather than the outcome which is at a single point in time.

Courageous leaders engage in meaningful experiences and appreciate that both positive and negative emotions may pop up – so much more than happiness.