Are you ready for a happiness boost? Your assignment this week…
Choose one action that uses your strengths in a way that helps someone else—and do it within the next 10 days. It could be mentoring a colleague, cooking a meal for a friend, helping a neighbor with a chore, or volunteering for a cause you care about. The key is to take deliberate, purposeful action that combines enjoyment with service.
The Power of Action—Why It Matters
Happiness isn’t just something that “happens” to us—it’s something we help create. While moments of joy can arrive unexpectedly, the science of happiness tells us that sustained well-being comes from how we live each day.
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who studied the concept of flow, found that people are often happiest when they are deeply engaged in an activity that challenges them just enough to stretch their abilities. In these moments, we lose track of time, become fully absorbed, and experience a blend of focus and enjoyment.
Arthur Brooks, in his work on the “happiness portfolio,” emphasizes that meaning often comes from work—not just our jobs, but any purposeful activity that uses our talents to make the world a little better. When action and meaning align, happiness follows.
The Science Behind Action and Happiness
Research supports this connection between intentional activity and well-being. According to Sonja Lyubomirsky’s 50–10–40 rule, 40% of our long-term happiness is shaped by what we do and how we think. Positive actions—especially those that connect to our strengths and values—occupy a big part of that 40%.
When we take action, three things happen:
We build momentum. Small steps lead to more steps, creating a cycle of progress and satisfaction.
We boost confidence. Each completed action reinforces the belief that we can shape our lives.
We deepen purpose. Using our skills for the good of others adds meaning to the enjoyment we feel.
Five Ways to Put Action into Practice
Think of action as the first “nutrient” in your happiness meal. Here are five ways to make it part of your regular diet:
Use your strengths daily. Make a list of your top three strengths—skills, talents, or qualities—and find ways to use at least one of them each day.
Prioritize health habits. Physical energy fuels emotional energy. Sleep well, eat well, and move often.
Learn something new. Curiosity sparks motivation and expands your sense of possibility.
Set small goals. Break large ambitions into small, achievable steps. Celebrate completion.
Serve others. Acts of service increase empathy, connection, and a sense of contribution.
A Story to Remember
In one of the world’s longest-running studies on happiness—the Harvard Study of Adult Development—researchers found that the happiest people weren’t those who sat back waiting for joy to arrive. They were the ones who regularly engaged in meaningful activities, kept learning, and nurtured relationships through shared action.
One long-term participant, now in his 80s, reflected that the most meaningful part of his life was remaining active doing what he loved—with people he cared about. That, he said, defined a good life. This reflects the study’s broader findings on the role of engagement and relationships.
Your Next Step
Happiness thrives when we move toward it. This week, take your assignment seriously: pick one meaningful action, do it, and notice the effect—not only on your mood but on your sense of purpose.
Then share your story. Your experience may be the spark that encourages someone else to take their first step under the Enjoyment Umbrella.
Have a great Labor Day weekend—celebrate the power of positive action!
Do you know someone who needs more happiness? Please share and invite others to subscribe.
Notes:
For further exploration…
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (New York: Harper & Row, 1990). His research on flow describes the deep satisfaction people feel when they are fully absorbed in challenging, meaningful activity.
Sonja Lyubomirsky, The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want (New York: Penguin Press, 2007). Lyubomirsky’s 50–10–40 framework highlights the role of intentional activities and habits in sustaining well-being.
Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz, The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2023). The Harvard Study of Adult Development shows that long-term happiness is most strongly linked to warm relationships and meaningful engagement.
Yeah, so let’s start a movement that welcomes all people and parties, but is led by independent thinkers offering objective analysis and proposals.
What is our mission? To transform American politics by organizing many voices into a potent reform effort centered on the Pursuit of Happiness.
Do you believe the United States should be just, peaceful, good, and free? Do you want to organize (or support others who do) to achieve reforms so big that neither major political party can do them alone? Do you want to fulfill the ideals of a noble vision for liberty and dignity for all? Join us…
"Csikszentmihalyi" - now there is a name that is a challenge to pronounce!
A key to happiness is realizing that it comes from within. Nobody else (and certainly no government) can make you happy. Happiness is a choice you make!