Author Richard Koch of The 80/20 Principle spoke about “Happiness Islands” in an interview:

I encourage people to think about the small chunks of time—this week, this year, the years during their whole lives—that have given them far more happiness than most of the rest of their time. I call these periods “happiness islands”. Try it for yourself. Ask what the happiness islands have in common—why were you unusually happy then. You can do the same for your “achievement islands”—and for the opposites too, the times when you were least effective (“achievement desert islands”) or happy (“happiness desert islands”).

I’ve been thinking about my Happiness Islands lately. What do they all have in common? Friends and family—people who understand me. And a lot of times, food. Playing sports, or getting exercise, too.