Final Report Installment #1: Changing Mindsets Changes Levels of Happiness

The first emotion that swept through my mind when I discovered I was carrying my first child was fear. Fear wasn't what I had hoped I would feel when I took my first step towards motherhood; I had hoped for joy, laughter, and overwhelming happiness. But, staring down at the positive test, all I could think was, "I'm bringing a child into a terrible world." The climate is changing, there are ever-present social issues, and the president of our country is a lewd joke. My knees knocked against each other as I went to tell my partner, my best friend, that we had made a child. My knees strengthened when I saw his face, and saw him cry tears of joy at the announcement of the little sesame-seed sized blastocyst that had opened the door to his journey as a father. The blastocyst is a fetus the size of a coconut now, and he's already punching and kicking without reform, ready to meet the world as soon as possible.

I made the transition from fear to peace as I began to read and study about what it means to be a mother. I was raised by a mother with a mental illness, and she was always there but never present. I never truly thought that being a parent was a gift until I suddenly was one, and had less than a year to prepare for the arrival of a baby. I had to rewire quite a few subconscious but demeaning constructs built up in my brain that had been molded by my own parental influence, and the influence of society. Happiness is something that can be achieved by changing mindsets that prevent happiness.

I am happy (of course) to say, although my first reaction to a new baby was fear and anxiety, I now feel nothing but joy and contentment about the direction in which my life is headed. I've done an amount of reflection on one of our first books, Lenior's Happiness: A Philosopher's Guide, to understand better what happiness IS, rather than what makes me happy. In my reflection, I've also uncovered what has been true for myself, and although I cannot guarantee this as a foolproof hack to happiness due to subjectivity, it has worked well for me. 

Understanding that all human beings are different and that each one has unique desires and grasps on life has been my first step to happiness. What works for Joe may not work for John, and so on and so forth. However, maybe SOME of what works for Joe may be even more beneficial to John, leading me to believe that many mindsets and practices that don't work for some, i.e., religion, daily routines, career paths, politics, can be tweaked and built upon to better suit not a whole, but a singular humanity. The world isn't as cut and dry as some would like to believe, and it is my observation that a mingling and interchanging of constructs, mindsets, and ideas will lead to a higher happiness outcome in most.