Today’s episode is extra special -- we have an interview with Kristin’s dad! Anyone who knows him knows that Jim Hoddenbach is an extraordinary person. He’s a pilot, expert aircraft mechanic, father of three, grandfather of six, and someone who influences every person he comes across for good.

In our conversation, we talked about the elusive concept of happiness. We talked about what it even means when we say we want to be happy and how we can create more happiness in our lives. We also talked about:

We talk about:

The 50/50 rule that life is half good, half bad -- and why that’s actually a good thing
How we can live with more acceptance and less resistance of the 50% bad
The four kinds of happiness
How to balance living in the present moment with remembering the good of the past and anticipation for the future

Listen below or wherever you listen to podcasts by searching the progress project. Listen on itunes by clicking here and picking ep. 45

links mentioned in this episode:

Kristin’s Favorite Thing: The Great Festive Baking Show on Netflix

Laura’s Favorite Thing: The Dawn Wall - Whether you’re into rock climbing or not this is such a great documentary all about perseverance.

Bonus Episode: How to feel more Restful throughout your day! You can access this bonus episode and others like it each month when you support us on Patreon for just $3! Or you can access it in our online shop!

Highlights from our episode on Happiness

Four Kinds of Happiness:

These four words create a kind of package of the best kind of happiness -- as good as it gets

Happiness: observational, outside of ourselves, what happens when we notice that something is making us happy at that moment
Joy: service-oriented, helping someone, offering encouragement, changing someone’s day for the better
Peace: faith-based, the knowledge that all things will work out for our good
Pleasure: what we’re generally seeking to help us feel good, more self-oriented, seems to have a shorter shelf life

Kristin and her dad on one of their favorite trips together

We often think that once we reach a certain point that everything will be great and we won’t have those problems or bad days anymore -- but that’s never what happens.

Resistance makes any kind of pain worse -- what you resist persists. When we are able to let go of resistance, life gets better almost instantly.

“We live in a world where we’re convinced we can buy happiness... but I think that we have to really think about what is deepest in our hearts about what it is that will make us happy. And I have come to the conclusion in my life at least that there has to be a spiritual component to my life. I have to believe that there’s a bigger picture, that there’s a purpose, that there’s as reason for these things, and that the growth and strength that I develop now is going to benefit me later.

And maybe that’s a simplistic view for some people to have but for me it’s really meaningful that if I can develop a faith and a big picture that it gives me the ability to step back and say ‘This will be for my good, this will be for my experience and help me in my life.’

And the only thing that I have to do throughout my life is try. I just have to try. Every day I have to get up and do the best I can. And if that’s all that’s required of me is to try every single day, I can do that. That’s manageable for me. And that growth will develop throughout my life and become a real strength at some point to where whatever happens happens and I’ll be ready for it. Just do the best you can. That’s all that is required. As you do that, everything will work out in the long run.”

— Jim Hoddenbach