I was inspired by Kiel, attempting to claim that happiness resides in simple things.
I posit that happiness is a variable dependent on time- time to be happy, time to do the things that make you happy, time to acquire things that make you happy. This makes time an important element in being happy. And therefore, control over time is a key to happiness.
What is time? Let me simplify that by dissecting simpler units of time- a day, a week, a month, a year.
A day, my day, starts with toilet chores at mostly 7:00. Five minutes to pee, wash my face, and gargle. Five minutes to wash my hair. Thirty minutes for a full breakfast with CNN and chat with the partner. Fifteen minutes to smoke and figure out the day that lies ahead. Five minutes to wash my body, ten to dry my hair, five to dress up, and another five to setup my bag. If I’m lucky, and that means no unexpected phone calls or unplanned domestic duties I’ll have to deal with, I’m on a cab by 8:30 and in the office by 9:00 (mostly).
In the office, I would generally spend 30 minutes smoking with friends, 15 minutes browsing the web for personal gains, 15 minutes texting and chatting, one and a half hours having lunch and snack breaks, 4 hour doing serious writing, an hour attending meetings with a good laugh (or not), 2 hours going around talking to people and settling some admin matters, and another hour “performing other duties as may be assigned by the super”. Generally, the day’s work may not be finished but I will call it a day.
Recently, I’d be home by 8:00. Dinner at 9:00, TV until 11:30, and some crazy stuff until 1:00. Or not.
I’d be at a mall or some resto bar until 11:00 or 12:00 and home by maybe 1:00. Or not.
I’d be in a spa from 7:00 until 12:00. Or not.
I’d be writing again ‘til 12:00 or 1:00. Or not.
I’d be home by 10:00 from somewhere, silence until 1:30, and at war until 3:30.
On a weekend, I can be doing chores all Saturday morning and writing while watching Foxcrime or AXN all afternoon or spending time with a friend in some fun activity. And, reading or writing again (or watching HBO or Star Movies) until midnight. And stuff, until around 2:00. Or I’d spend an entire afternoon entertaining some guests. If I’m lucky, there won’t be another set of guests for the evening, which could also run until around 2:00. On a Sunday, I’d spend an hour conditioning my hair and scrubbing my feet, two hours having my nails done and watching CSIs, maybe 3 hours at the mall or prepping for the week ahead, and possibly 3 hours chatting with the partner or someone at the phone.
In a month, I’d have done some serious work, some socializing (online and face-to-face), shopped, beautified myself, and ran into some serious life-changing conflict. The proportions, of course, vary. In a year, with all holidays (and not so holy days), I’d have spent roughly 20% of my time for social life, 10% for myself, and 70% on work.
Happiness gauge:
85% happy with my social life = This would include, in order of significance, maintaining family and old friends, making new ones, throwing away bad ones, and having good and bad fights.
70% happy with my personal time = This would account for physical maintenance (attempts to be beautiful and getting to eat all that I crave for, watching for pleasure or for education, as well as deprived sleep and some stuff), mental disorientation, emotional roller coasters, and simply wanting for more.
90% happy with my work = This consists mostly of my satisfaction with what I’ve delivered, my confidence (or wishful thinking) that my clients are contented (and they will call me again) against actual result that they do call me again, and the negative events in the process (and sometimes even after) that I had to deal with.
And this evaluation, naturally, is based on memory of most recent experiences. It may have been different in 1997 or ten years from now.
On estimate, I was generally a happy child (trauma-free, carefree) and a happy adult (no major disasters, and I cope with the rest). Why? I get to do this and that, here and there, when possible. A few laughs, some tears, a little fear, a good amount of fury.
We shape our own perception of happiness. We remember our sense of happiness based on moments that stand out amidst the chaos in our everyday life. Whether it’s in the shoes we wear or the earth we walk on (or the shoes we wear vs. what shoes other people wear), we can always say “I’m happy, just because”.
Hopefully, we become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Or not.
I posit that happiness is a variable dependent on time- time to be happy, time to do the things that make you happy, time to acquire things that make you happy. This makes time an important element in being happy. And therefore, control over time is a key to happiness.
What is time? Let me simplify that by dissecting simpler units of time- a day, a week, a month, a year.
A day, my day, starts with toilet chores at mostly 7:00. Five minutes to pee, wash my face, and gargle. Five minutes to wash my hair. Thirty minutes for a full breakfast with CNN and chat with the partner. Fifteen minutes to smoke and figure out the day that lies ahead. Five minutes to wash my body, ten to dry my hair, five to dress up, and another five to setup my bag. If I’m lucky, and that means no unexpected phone calls or unplanned domestic duties I’ll have to deal with, I’m on a cab by 8:30 and in the office by 9:00 (mostly).
In the office, I would generally spend 30 minutes smoking with friends, 15 minutes browsing the web for personal gains, 15 minutes texting and chatting, one and a half hours having lunch and snack breaks, 4 hour doing serious writing, an hour attending meetings with a good laugh (or not), 2 hours going around talking to people and settling some admin matters, and another hour “performing other duties as may be assigned by the super”. Generally, the day’s work may not be finished but I will call it a day.
Recently, I’d be home by 8:00. Dinner at 9:00, TV until 11:30, and some crazy stuff until 1:00. Or not.
I’d be at a mall or some resto bar until 11:00 or 12:00 and home by maybe 1:00. Or not.
I’d be in a spa from 7:00 until 12:00. Or not.
I’d be writing again ‘til 12:00 or 1:00. Or not.
I’d be home by 10:00 from somewhere, silence until 1:30, and at war until 3:30.
On a weekend, I can be doing chores all Saturday morning and writing while watching Foxcrime or AXN all afternoon or spending time with a friend in some fun activity. And, reading or writing again (or watching HBO or Star Movies) until midnight. And stuff, until around 2:00. Or I’d spend an entire afternoon entertaining some guests. If I’m lucky, there won’t be another set of guests for the evening, which could also run until around 2:00. On a Sunday, I’d spend an hour conditioning my hair and scrubbing my feet, two hours having my nails done and watching CSIs, maybe 3 hours at the mall or prepping for the week ahead, and possibly 3 hours chatting with the partner or someone at the phone.
In a month, I’d have done some serious work, some socializing (online and face-to-face), shopped, beautified myself, and ran into some serious life-changing conflict. The proportions, of course, vary. In a year, with all holidays (and not so holy days), I’d have spent roughly 20% of my time for social life, 10% for myself, and 70% on work.
Happiness gauge:
85% happy with my social life = This would include, in order of significance, maintaining family and old friends, making new ones, throwing away bad ones, and having good and bad fights.
70% happy with my personal time = This would account for physical maintenance (attempts to be beautiful and getting to eat all that I crave for, watching for pleasure or for education, as well as deprived sleep and some stuff), mental disorientation, emotional roller coasters, and simply wanting for more.
90% happy with my work = This consists mostly of my satisfaction with what I’ve delivered, my confidence (or wishful thinking) that my clients are contented (and they will call me again) against actual result that they do call me again, and the negative events in the process (and sometimes even after) that I had to deal with.
And this evaluation, naturally, is based on memory of most recent experiences. It may have been different in 1997 or ten years from now.
On estimate, I was generally a happy child (trauma-free, carefree) and a happy adult (no major disasters, and I cope with the rest). Why? I get to do this and that, here and there, when possible. A few laughs, some tears, a little fear, a good amount of fury.
We shape our own perception of happiness. We remember our sense of happiness based on moments that stand out amidst the chaos in our everyday life. Whether it’s in the shoes we wear or the earth we walk on (or the shoes we wear vs. what shoes other people wear), we can always say “I’m happy, just because”.
Hopefully, we become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Or not.
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