What Is Happiness?

Happiness Is More Than Thinking Positive Thoughts

Ever thought about what happiness is? Imagine asking different people what they think Happiness is. Chances are, they will all come up with different answers. The school kid may say that a free period in class, when the teacher is unwell is happiness. Another will talk of her mom sending her her favourite dish for lunch. A worker will say that payday is happiness. And a housewife might say that a good TV program is happiness. After she has packed off the husband and kids to school and work.

The dictionary defines happiness as “the state of being happy”.

The truth is that happiness is different things to different people. It is a state of mind and usually it is temporary. And happiness is how you perceive it - and what you make of it. Happiness is in the mind of the beholder.

You are likely to feel happy when

Your Needs Are Met – When your needs are met, there is every chance that you will be happy.

When a person is happy, s/he usually don’t even have any needs that aren’t being met to the level s/he wants them to be met. It doesn’t mean that someone is not having a hard time. It’s all about how you make what you have, fill your needs.

You Feel Satisfied– When you are really happy, you tend to feel comfortable and simply satisfied with your life. You think about your life and feel good about it. You feel very satisfied when you look around your life and see all the fortune you have. This could be where you live, who you live with, or just about yourself. All these don't even matter.

You Feel Quite Content – A happy person tends to feel really content about the things in their life. They feel content about their job, their home, their things, and their health. Nothing is nagging in their minds and causing any stress. But remember, happy people do have stress. They’re just better at feeling content even when things aren’t perfect.

You Are At Peace – A happy person often feels a lot of peace surrounding their life and family. They tend to know that everything will turn out okay. They are good at turning negativity around to positivity.

How You Define Happiness – The truth is, happiness is how you define it personally for you. It’s not about getting tons of stuff unless you want that. It’s not about finding a spouse unless you want that. It’s not about having kids unless you want that. It’s all up to you and how you define happiness.

It’s a Journey – Happiness is not a destination that you get to one day and stay at. It’s a lifelong journey that will have many ups and downs and struggles. However, in spite of the ups and downs of life, you manage to feel good about it. In the 1989 movie, “Parenthood”, one of the main characters, a mother who is struggling, states that she loves “the rollercoaster” of life. And all the while, her husband is struggling and not as happy because he focuses on the downs instead of the ups.

It’s How You Act – When you are happy you tend to act in more positive ways over all. When happy, you eat better, you move more, you think differently. Don’t worry. You have it in your power to be happy where you are in your life right now.

Happiness is more than thinking positive thoughts. Happiness is having your needs met. But it’s not about having everything, or even the best. It’s about being satisfied with what you have while also being able to work for the things you want. While you do have to do more than think positively to really and truly feel happy, it does start with your thoughts. However, it will manifest with your actions.