The Secret of Happiness

Patricia Smiley here…

Since my post today is about happiness, it is my pleasure to make a joyous announcement about our very own Jacqueline Winspear. Her latest novel AN INCOMPLETE REVENGE hit the New York Times Bestseller List (edition published on March 9th) just one week after the book’s publication. As you can image, our Naked buttons are bursting from pride. In fact, we’re downright chuffed, not only because Our J is a talented and deserving writer, but also because she is our friend and we love her. Cheers to you, Our J! Now there will be knitting and champagne at the Bouchercon bar.



More happiness...

A couple of Sundays ago, I watched a “60 Minutes” segment profiling the happiest people in the world. Hint: They are not Disneyland employees.



They are the people of Denmark, which isn’t surprising despite all that Hamlet the melancholy Dane bad press. Perhaps the reason for their contentment lies in the fact that the Danish government takes care of its people (which totals half the population of Los Angeles County) from the womb to the tomb, freeing the Danes to experience happiness through the simple things in life: friends, family, and low expectations.

That revelation prompted me to wonder who were the happiest people in my world. Certainly not most writers I know. We're happy but not totally so, because our expectations are as high as our anxiety over not living up to those expectations. We hunker down in our caves, typing words we hope will inspire or amuse, while facing impossible deadlines. We talk about yourselves at book events until we’re sick of hearing our own braggadocio. We worry about things like sell-through, book contracts, and bad reviews. We fret that our writing sucks and soon the reading world will discover our fraud. We compare ourselves to “real” writers who are a hundred times more successful than we are without doing one radio interview or a single library dog-and-pony show. We obsess about socking away enough money in our IRAs so we won’t have to eat cat food when our careers become the litter boxes of the fiction world. Kind of makes you want to run out and buy a ream of paper and a typewriter, doesn’t it.



I’m currently looking forward to the June 3rd release of my fourth novel COOL CACHE. In preparation for the big event, I e-mailed a wise friend about some promotion ideas, which consisted of several options laid out in a concise outline, featuring opportunities, threats, financial spreadsheets, and contingency plans (because that’s what one does when one has an MBA with an emphasis in strategic planning). On hindsight, my e-mail may have contained just a smidgen of angst, because my friend shot back with some writerly advice: “Do only that which brings you joy.”

She knew that the past year had been a blur of activities for me. I became so over-extended with planned events, unexpected responsibilities, and volunteer work that much of the joie de vivre had leached from my joyosphere. Her comment forced me to stop and consider the things that truly made me happy.

• Friends, family, and fans who support and encourage me.

• People who respect and appreciate my contribution and take every opportunity to say so.

• Pilates.

• Knitting socks.
  

I just finished these on Friday. How joyous is that?

Still, it seemed like a short list.

That's when my search for the universal truth about happiness sent me thumbing through Satisfaction: The Science of Finding True Fulfillment. Author Gregory Berns, M.D., Ph.D. maintains that "... satisfaction, thrives on challenge and novelty.”

Challenge? Novelty? Interesting. Then I remembered Paul Levine’s post a couple of Tuesdays ago. He asked us to write a six-word memoir. Mine was “That was fun. What’s next?” Could it be that the dopamine in my brain was again craving something new and exciting? If so, change may be looming in my future.

Recently, I was offered a breathtaking opportunity. At first I hesitated because accepting it would present one of the greatest physical and emotional challenges I’ve ever faced. This opportunity is beyond novel. It's a bit crazy. But just thinking about it makes me giddy. So maybe, just maybe...

What brings you joy?

Happy Monday!

P.S. Watch this if you think smart is the new sexy or if you think Tina Fey is hot or if you just want a Monday morning belly laugh.