Expat Happiness Tip #2: Living A Good, Meaningful Life

Posted on 13. May, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life
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In terms of happiness, there is a huge difference between a pleasant life and a good or meaningful life.

A pleasant life is what most of us would call “the good life”: it is all about the enjoyment of the senses and pursuing pleasure for its own sake. Lots of money, a big swimming pool, plenty of travelling, not a care in the world – that sort of thing.

I know this kind of life may sound very appealing… but research shows that the pleasant life does not actually lead to lasting happiness. Think of the people you know who have moved to a beautiful part of the world, or who negotiated a big expat package. As the initial excitement and novelty wear off, those lucky expats soon revert to their previous level of happiness – or unhappiness as the case may be.

So if “the good life abroad” does not automatically translate into a good life as an expat, what can we do to boost our happiness levels?

The happiest expats I know are those who have – intuitively or consciously – created a meaningful life for themselves overseas.

Living meaningfully will look different for each of us – for some it will be about being with those they love, while others will find meaning through working with a NGO. Others still will thrive as they immerse themselves in a culture about which they are passionately curious.

Even though the specifics vary from person to person, the feel of living a meaningful life seems to consistently hinge on three emotions:

– the serenity you get from knowing your purpose in life
– the uplifting energy you get from maximum engagement
– the centeredness you get from experiencing a state of flow

You will be hearing a lot about these themes during Expat Happiness Month at Winning Away – they are central to sustained happiness.

While I do not have any quick fixes to offer to make life more meaningful and happier overnight, I do have several tips and tricks to share with you to help you see your purpose in life clearly and accurately. More about this in the next post!

Emmanuelle

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