Have you ever asked yourself;
“What makes me happy?”
“How can I be happier?”
I mean, it’s only natural to ask ourselves these questions.
More often than not, we are more bothered about finding the next opportunity to make money or whining about a slow growth with business, inability to make things work, losing opportunities and more.
Over the years, we have planted our happiness in what we can achieve. We are literally spending most of our time pursuing material things we believe can make us live a good life that we forget to enjoy life.
It is great to shoot for the best, but then, we shouldn’t suffer. Stop going through hell hoping to reward yourself in the future — you need to unlearn this, we all need to.
Jump to best answer to “what makes you happy interview question”
What makes me happy?
Do you know?
You are likely to go speechless if you ask yourself “what makes you happy?”. Not surprising! There are so many answers until you have to give a response!
I threw the question at myself and I wasn’t able to give a genuine answer without pushing in career and money.
Why is it so difficult to answer such a simple question?
For a minute, I didn’t know what to say to myself, and the next minute, I was ready to fix in just anything that might make me happy.
The closest answer I could think of was achieving a goal. But this achievement births a new goal and the cycle continues. I don’t want my happiness tied to my achievements – not anymore.
Sometimes, we feel meeting our financial goal makes us happy, but in reality, we reward ourselves with another financial goal.
Why is it difficult to know what makes us happy?
“What makes me happy” is one of the hardest questions to ask yourself and here’s why; YOU ARE HUMAN, and humans are insatiable.
What makes you happy at this moment may not move a muscle the next. So, the answer to the question “what makes me happy?” is subjective because we never have the right answer.
We may not have the right answers for what makes us happy, but we can navigate to a more comely side of life, away from our jobs and career expectations
What is the best answer to “what makes you happy?”
There is no definitive answer to “what makes you happy.” It is a simple question with a not so simple answer. However, for some people, it might be:
- Spending time with loved ones.
- Experiencing new and exciting things.
- Achieving personal goals.
- Lending a helping hand to others.
Even with the above hints, I couldn’t craft a better answer.
Here’s why we can’t answer properly to “what makes you happy;” happiness is a complex and nuanced emotion that is different for everyone.
While I may not have the right answers to the question, I developed 5 habits that will give me an edge, helping me maintain peace with happiness.
1. I learned to take care of my physical health by getting enough exercise and good food.
2. I spend time with people I love and enjoy being with — whether it’s via call or physical meet, which I recommend.
Spending quality time spent with those we care about is essential to our happiness. This may sound cliché, but being around the people you love is everything.
3. I take more time off to reflect on my happiest moments. Sometimes, we need the nostalgia. Reminiscing about beautiful memories take us down that happy lane.
I make some of these moments into poems because I enjoy writing. Revisiting them often gives me little happiness boosts.
4. I have made it a mantra to remind myself not to tie my happiness to the things I hope to achieve. While this is not an excuse to stay lazy, it’s an opportunity to give yourself permission to be happy. Being happy is a good thing and we shouldn’t deprive ourselves of living.
5. I enjoy staying indoors, but I must confess; confining yourself to a spot does more harm than good.
There’s something about getting some fresh air; it helps us release stress and feel better. I have made it a habit to leave the comfort of my room and step outside even if it’s for a few minutes.
What is the best answer to “what makes you happy at work?”
A common question interviewers ask during job interviews is “What makes you happy at work?” The interviewer is hoping to learn about your work habits and what kind of environment you thrive in.
The things that make us happy that can vary from person to person, but here are a few things that makes me happy at work that can give you an idea:
For me, it’s important to feel like my job makes a difference in the world. I enjoy being able to use my skills and talents in a way that is helpful and fulfilling. I want to know that the work I’m doing is contributing to the client or company’s success and making a positive impact.
I also need to feel like I’m growing and learning. I’m not the type of person who can do the same thing day in and day out. I need to feel like I’m constantly expanding my skillset and knowledge base.
I feel happiest when I am working on projects that matter. Whether it’s fighting big fights for a cause I believe in or simply helping make a difference in someone’s life, if the work is meaningful to me then I am happy.
I need to feel like I am valued and appreciated by my colleagues and superiors. This means being given feedback in a way that feels helpful and not belittling, as well as feeling like my opinions and ideas are respected.
This means setting realistic goals for myself (e.g., no more than 40 hours workweek) and allowing myself time to relax each week. When these factors are all met, I am generally very happy at work.
Lastly, I need to feel like I have a good work/life balance. I wouldn’t be happy at work if I feel stressed and overworked. I need enough time off to recharge both mentally and physically and enjoy my life outside of work.
If an employer can provide a work environment that meets these needs, most employees will be happy, engaged, and productive.
So, whether you are being interviewed for a remote or in-office position, the interviewer is looking for certain things that will make you happy.
Although the six things mentioned above are important to each individual, every person has their own unique set of needs and wants that make them happy at work.
Some people find meaning and purpose in their work by helping others or making a difference in the world. Others need to feel like they are constantly growing and learning so they can keep up with changes in the industry. And finally, everyone needs time to relax and have some fun outside of work.
Can we ever figure it out?
It’s hard to pinpoint what makes us happy, but we can never truly figure it out?
What we can do, however, is make small tweaks in our lives that will lead to a Happier You.
I would never have thought that asking myself “what makes me happy?” will have me in gridlock. It’s a relatively simple question, but it’s okay if we do not have answers we think we have.
We don’t have to figure it out, we only should walk towards happiness and work with it. I don’t have to wait for a sale, job or deal to be happy. Even the little things matter.
How not to make happiness transactional
How do we make being happy transactional?
While this may not be intentional, waiting until you reach a goal to pay attention to yourself is the worst thing we do to ourselves.
If you do anything daily that makes you unhappy, stop and ask yourself “why?”. Once you have an appropriate answer, change your routine. If it’s a shitty job, a side hustle or anything else, think about your mental health and happiness.
I have been trying to unlearn a lot of my bad habits and it irks me to say that one of my bad habits is planning and never executing. It’s one thing to want something and another to work for it!
In the end, happiness is something that we should all strive for. It’s not something that we should wait to be given to us, but something that we should work towards every day. Anything within your power should not control your happiness but enhance it.
I’m sticking to this whole new mindset. “happiness is not transactional.”
Happiness, they say, is a state of mind and finding genuine happiness come from within. If we make it a reward for labor, we are only going to be opening a door for anxiety and depression.
We must avoid transactional happiness. I want to live in the moment and enjoy life as it comes and hope that it stays fair to us all.
