Disclaimer: Yes, I used to be an engineer, but don’t be frightened. I will keep the geekery to a minimum.

We talk about happiness as if it is a Universal quality. In some ways, it is.

But mostly, it’s completely individual. What happiness feels like in my body is probably quite different than what happiness feels like in your body. Figuring out your own formula can be just like a chemistry project. Except much more fun. (For everyone but my honey who’s a full-on chemistry maestro. Seriously.)

Put on your safety glasses, and let’s get in the lab, people!

Titrate

Titration is the process of adding one item to another, veeeerrrry slowly, so that you know the exact point at which the two (or more) come into perfect proportion. How do you titrate happiness, you ask?

Think of your life as a glass of crystal clear water. The sources of happiness are little squeeze bottles of food coloring. Your particular happiness color is purple. Not just any purple, but the absolutely perfect purple. You start adding drops, one at a time, until the solution turns the color you want it to.

In your life, this is the first level of experimentation. Does your formula for happiness include red (nourishing food), blue (spiritual practice), green (self-expression) or hot pink (deep intimacy)? (OK, those happen to be mine…).

You add them in, being aware of how the overall color moves toward or away from what you’re looking for.

Knowing what makes you happy is a non-negotiable first step. It’s nearly impossible to hit a target you haven’t defined. It’s important to stay open to discovering new sources of happiness, as well. Perhaps that unlikely bottle of puce brings out the exact tonal quality that makes your purple pop.

Calibrate

Calibration is the act of measuring something relative to something else. It’s zeroing out the weight of the bowl when you’re weighing the flour for a recipe. (Yes, weighing flour is the most accurate way to measure it, btw.)

In life, this looks like bringing perspective into your pursuits. It means carrying a happiness batch with you at all times so that when things go sideways, (which they inevitably do) you are prepared. It means possibly lowering your expectations of what creates a ‘happy’ day so that more days will qualify.

[A former teacher of mine gave me the greatest calibration lesson I’ve ever had. She had two children with cancer. Unimaginable, I know. Her definition of a good day? When nobody threw up on her.]

We often set ourselves up for failure without meaning to. We expect cars to run perfectly, the weather to cooperate and our partners to be psychic. How about if we don’t put anything into our happiness kool-aid that relies on things outside of our control? What if we make happiness a mindset, with super achievable criteria?

Iterate

That’s just a fancy word for repeat, friends. Unlike chemistry, the science of happiness does not have a single, unchanging answer.

Every day we wake up a different set of cells (literally), which means the formula will likely change as well. Finding out what works on any given day, or in any particular moment, could require repeating the experiment. It could mean letting go of fancy purple, and appreciating a simple light green. It almost definitely means you will be experimenting, over and over, nearly every day of your glorious life.

The search for your unique happiness formula doesn’t have to be hard. Especially if you can be like that glass of water – fluid, resilient and receptive.

Infuse your exploration of the sources of your happiness with creativity, playfulness and acceptance, and you’ve created a container of contentment to add into the mix.

You can keep the goggles. They look pretty cool on you.

Did you know that I made a course to help you get closer to your happiness point? Yup, it’s true. You can get it for free right here.