Problem
In her TED Talk, There's more to life than being happy, E.E. Smith talks about the four pillars for a meaningful life. The fourth pillar is "storytelling." (Watch the TED Talk from 6:38-8:53 for her explanation of this pillar and see my PowerPoint slides in the Meaning lecture).
Conduct your own storytelling exercise of an event(s) in your life and reflect on its connection to our understanding of 'happiness' and 'meaning.'
a) Choose a past even(s) in your life that has until now been viewed negatively, difficult and/or traumatic. (You may also choose a past event(s) for which you have already done this type of reflective work).
b) "Rewrite" the past event(s) with a positive and 'redemptive' perspective.
c) How and why do you think you have been or will be able to derive happiness and meaning from the rewriting of your story?