How My Family Weekend Getaway Can Help Make You Happier

Saint-Adele, QC. We got the first proper dusting of fresh snow of the season. I was at a weekend away with family.  Much care went into the preparation, from the food to the location to activities for the kids. As I look back on the weekend and scroll through what seems like an endless series of snapshots capturing great memories from the weekend, I have a strong sense that this was a great weekend.  I feel upbeat, lighthearted, and content.  It’s a feeling that I want to bottle and open on special occasions. You may have felt that same feeling, maybe after doing something else. It’s the feeling you get when you know you spent your time in ways that make you happy. Contrary to social media, this blog isn’t going to tell you about what I did on the weekend, or how well it went. Instead, it will focus on why, for me, a weekend away with the family fills my happiness bucket and how if you think through the same concepts and set up your own equivalent activities, you may also end the weekend feeling the same way.

There are 2 concepts required to understand why the weekend was right for me. This blog won’t go into much detail but I will provide some quick descriptions. The first concept is “roles”.  These are ways in which I see myself. For example, someone may see themselves as a father, a friend, a husband, an entrepreneur, and/or a teacher. The second concept is “values”. For example, “Putting family first”, “Hard work pays off” or “Spend less than you make”.

Happiness = Doing things that support my role ("Father") in a way that is congruent with my values ("Putting Family First").

In this scenario, the role of “father” and the value “Putting family first” overlap with the weekend activities. I spent my time in a way that is congruent with how I see myself and my values. This is what makes me feel positive.  It is similar to acting congruently to physical laws such as gravity. If I jump, I will eventually fall. If I use this reality to my advantage, then I will jump when it makes sense and I will be all the happier for it (like jumping over a puddle but not in front of a train).  Similarly, there are a series of happiness laws that govern your happiness.  If you act congruently to them, you will be happy, otherwise, you will will likely feel frustrated and wishing thinsg were different. These happiness laws are different for each of us.  For me, a weekend away aligns with how I see myself and how I want to spend my time. For you, this may be something completely different. 

Finally, making improvements that are aligned with my role and that are in harmony with my values makes me feel even happier. For example, if spending time this weekend led to building a closer relationship with my children, (role: father) then this will make me happy. Again since roles differ for each of us, what you need to improve will be different. 

My hope is that this blog shows you an example of how you can spend your time in ways that align with your roles and values and can let you live your happiest life.