Psychologist Erik Erikson, the father of adult development theories, echoes this reasoning. "I am what survives of me," he said. Others have weighed in as well: "The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it," said the American philosopher and psychologist William
James more than a hundred years ago.
Mold a Version of Success That Suits You
So what makes your heart sing? What does success mean to you? In a moment I'm going to give you a strategy to help you figure that out. But let's start with a simple quiz to measure just how happy you are. This isn't my quiz. It's the brainchild of professor Diener, who came up with it in 1980. It's brilliantly simple. It's been widely published, including in
Time magazine, and it's been used all over the world. If you want a second opinion or something more complex there are any number of happiness quizzes on the Internet. There's one at www.iVillage.com that's pretty good. So is the one at psychologytoday.com. You can even take Diener's test on the Web at www.time.com/time/2005/happiness/graphics/quiz .html.
But there is no reason to rush to a computer. The quiz is so simple you can do it in your head. Here it is:
Below are five statements that you may agree or disagree with. Using a 1 to 7 scale, where 1 means strongly disagree, 4 is neutral, and 7 means strongly agree, indicate your agreement with each item by placing an appropriate number on the line preceding that item. Be reflective and honest, or the exercise will prove meaningless. ___ In most ways my life is close to my ideal ___ The conditions of my life are excellent ___ I am satisfied with my life ___ So far I have gotten the important things I want in life ___ If I could live my life over I would change almost nothing ___ Your life-satisfaction score (total of above)
Here's how you rate your life, and what it means:-30 to 35. Good (and perhaps obvious) news: you love your life.
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