By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Dr. Alphonsus Obayuwana believes a simple equation exists: Hope over hunger equals happiness. He calls it “The Happiness Formula.”
Touting his soon-to-be-released book of the same name, Obayuwana shared the basic ingredients in his recipe for happiness during a recent workshop hosted by the Wood County District Public Library. The goal of the workshop was for participants to learn how to have and enjoy the best possible life despite disappointments and turbulent times.
The retired physician, now a health coach and author, has studied the relationship between human hope and hunger for 30 years. He first researched hope and developed a hope index that was used by corporate giants including Coca-Cola and General Motors. He added hunger to his research by studying babies’ desires from the moment they were born. When studying happiness became a trend, he rounded out his equation.
Obayuwana wondered, “Can you have hope without happiness? Can you have happiness without hope? Are they the same thing or how do they relate?”
Along the way, he learned that desire is the common denominator between hope and hunger. He defined hope as the feeling that what is desired is possible, and hunger as any compelling desire.
“Because of our hunger, we are prewired for happiness,” he said. “When we attend to our hungers, our happiness follows.”
He disputed the idea that happiness means different things to different people. Instead, his definition of happiness is “the feeling of delight, joy, wellbeing, satisfaction, fulfillment or contentment.
“What you desire is up to you, but the good news is, you can be happier, and you can do it,” he said.
To start the process, he summarized three objectives for the workshop participants:
- Know the happiness formula (hope over hunger = happiness) and answer assessment questions he had devised that determine personal scores for hope and hunger. The personal happiness score is figured by dividing the hope score by the hunger score. A person is considered happy if their score is above one.
- Use the happiness score to come up with a precise personalized happiness snapshot in time. High hope and low hunger comprise Zone A; low hope and high hunger comprise Zone C; Zone B is anything in between.
- Learn how to move from the happiest Zone A to the least happy Zone C despite trials and traumas.
Going from one zone to another is possible. The first step to boost hope and lessen hunger is to find your true calling. “Then don’t just leave every day as it comes, have an agenda,” Obayuwana said. “Even if you are retired, your calling is yours forever.”
He offered a “SORKS” tool for self-analysis that includes Self, Others, Resources, Knowledge and Spirituality.
Self requires a look at who you are, your greatest passions and personal legacy.
For the Others analysis, ask the question, “How relevant are you in the lives of others and in your community?”
The Resources category refers to appreciating what you have. “No matter how poor you think you might be, when you appreciate what you have, what you have appreciates you back,” he explained. A millionaire whose goal is to be a billionaire is poorer than a grandmother who is satisfied with her Social Security income and counts her blessings.
Knowledge is power. “Ask yourself how curious or hungry are you? What answers are you looking for?” he said.
“Spirituality is not always about God; it can be Jehovah, Allah, Yahweh, or any omnipotent, cosmic force that you believe in. It’s important to know your notion of man and God, life and death, good and bad,” he said.
Obayuwana suggested another important part of the happiness journey is to establish a Personal Daily Routine that includes being thankful for what you have, learning something new no matter how small, and nurturing your soul.
“Happiness is not just feeling good and laughing it has existential value, which is why we are all looking for happiness,” he said.
