How to Achieve Happiness: In Conversation with Nevin Decroo
It was so lovely to sit down and chat with friend and coworker Nevin Decroo! Nevin and I met working at the human centered design institute, IdeaFactory, at Texas Christian University (TCU). When we began working together we quickly realized that we had numerous shared interests including writing, mindfulness, and general wellness, but we never sat down and talked in depth about these things. I am so glad that I asked Nevin to be a guest on the podcast because it allowed us the space and time to talk about our shared passions and I learned so much from Nevin. Throughout our conversation I came to understand more fully how he developed his interests and why helping other people is so important to him.
Nevin began by explaining how helping others is vital to his purpose. Nevin believes in helping other people not only find happiness, but to maximize their current happiness and wellness to reach their full potential. Helping others in this way became one of the integral tenets that Nevin lived his life and informed his own personal definition of happiness. This was one of the most interesting parts of our conversation. Nevin has not only reflected on what brings him happiness, but has defined exactly what that looks like for him. Nevin defines happiness as, “pursuing fulfillment at the intersection of presence and gratitude.” This definition includes helping other people, but also includes finding a way to be thankful for everything. This gratitude is not just a cursory moment of thankfulness, but a deep presence of mind within gratitude. Nevin’s approach to defining happiness was very powerful for me. Not only does Nevin approach his life by pursuing happiness through gratitude and service, but he has been able to define that pursuit in an actionable way that supports his forward growth.
Returning to the notion of gratitude, Nevin described how his gratitude practice exists outside of value judgements. This is such an important, yet often overlooked, aspect of gratitude. Regardless of the type of day he’s had, Nevin finds a way to settle into gratitude for the day and the ways he’s grown. Nevin also emphasized the importance of staying present with any feelings that arise while moving through gratitude and not letting a distorted version of gratitude mask any true feelings. This approach shows the power of being able to hold gratitude, and any other feeling, at the same time. Breathe through it, and allow the experience to move through you.
As Nevin discussed his unique combination of helping others and pursuing happiness with gratitude, you can tell that his approach to life is rooted in caring for yourself and your own well-being first. This approach feels like an extremely healthy way to focus on your own growth and wellness while still approaching life with an other-oriented mindset. While these two things may seem disparate, I believe that part of Nevin’s other-centered approach comes from having defined his own personal beliefs and happiness. Through my conversation with Nevin, I realized the importance of defining what happiness means for you in order to serve others while taking care of your own needs. Since my conversation with Nevin I have worked on developing my own definition of happiness, and while I have continued to refine it, the definition has helped me move forward in a focused and fulfilling way.
This exercise was an extremely helpful exercise to find a way to help guide my future behavior based on my own beliefs. I highly recommend you follow in Nevin’s footsteps and develop your own definition of happiness. Not only will this help you tap into some of your inner drives and passions, but you will also have a mantra, affirmation, or daily reminder to encourage you to move forward on your path.
One of the keys to Nevin’s definition is its shortness and simplicity. Further, Nevin also made his definition actionable within the very language. This allows for the definition to be reflective, and a tool for growth moving forward. As you reflect on your own definition for happiness, I recommend you emulate that same format, and utilize the below structure to help get your juices flowing.
“Happiness is (verb) (goal) while experiencing (your optimal state of mind).”
Of course, the formula is simply a starting point. Use it to assist your process, not to hold yourself back!
I hope you all enjoyed this conversation as much as I did! Nevin is such a wonderful example of living your life with integrity, aligned with your personal values. I hope you take something with you from this episode - I certainly did! If you want more content, subscribe to Making Meaning on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and subscribe to the blog so you never miss a post! If you want to join the conversation, follow us on Instagram @thecoherecollective. If you want more of Nevin, follow him on Instagram @nevin_decroo or check out his website www.nevindecroo.com.
Until next time, so much love!
XX
