[Rhino] If you seek happiness or a meaning for your life, it is even worse, because it is doubtful whether you even have a valid question about what you are after.
[Rafael] There is a valid model for happiness. It's called flow. It lies between boredom
and anxiety, where you are IN THE ZONE lol. Seriously "Flow: The psychology of optimum experience" provides an accurate model
describing how to achieve "happy states" or "flow states".
[Jake] I don't know how I feel about "flow states". I'm sure it serves some good descriptive purposes of a real phenomenon, but I have my doubts that it has any prescriptive use. I can imagine how having a purpose, a goal, or some other phaith type focus, perhaps similar to Brodie's Level-3 idea, can operate to move you into such a state. Indeed I think I have been there a few times myself. But I have my doubts that focussing on such a state as a goal in itself will do much for you. Because you are focussing too much on symptoms, rather than causes -- and I mean "causes" in both ways this time :) Humans are tricky that way, . . . we generally have to play games with ourselves to get any real control. Being happy has never been, and probably never will be a completely straightforward issue.
Love,
-Jake Sapiens