Happiness is Your True Wealth

Article by Ann Ronan

“Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others.” Buddha

I’ve been studying the new field of Positive Psychology ‘finally a psychology that is rigorously studying what is right with people. I am excited to find that this research points to what spiritual truths already tell us – you are meant to be happy, to live the life you choose AND, your thinking influences your happiness.

Nobody comes to me for coaching saying “help me be happier”. But really ‘that underlies every person’s seeking’a new job, a better relationship, more money – the thought that if you had that you would be happy. Guess what? You are probably already pretty happy ‘research shows us that most people are mildly happy most of the time – we’re wired that way. We are able to adjust to and overcome personal difficulties with inspiring levels of resilience. And, a vast majority of people are able to overcome distress, find meaning and seek out enjoyable experiences and relationships.

What is happiness? Happiness is often seen as trivial, lighthearted, and not nearly as important as the weightier matters of work and family. Researchers say that happiness is the “experience of frequent, mildly pleasant emotions, the relative absence of unpleasant feelings, and a general feeling of satisfaction with one’s life.” Happiness is much more than a destination. Feeling positive is like having money in the bank that can be spent on the pursuit of other goals. Happiness is one of your greatest resources that you may be overlooking.

There are many benefits to being happy. Happiness is associated with better health, more creativity, higher income, and better workplace evaluations. Happy people tend to be more helpful, creative, charitable, altruistic and healthier. They live longer, are more likely to marry, tend to stay married longer, tend to have more friends and actually earn more money.

How can you be happier? What is it that very happy folks actually do differently than the rest of us? Are they smarter, or more energetic or kinder? There is a strong genetic component to happiness ‘about 50% of our levels of happiness are genetically based, life circumstances like economic status, race and sex account for about 10% and the good news is that the other 40% is personal choice.

Set a realistic expectation about happiness ‘mildly pleasant most of the time is just fine. We are not meant to be wildly euphoric all the time. One of the most powerful ways to increase happiness is to not expect fulfillment to be extremely intense or permanent.

What is the optimal level of happiness? Most of us are in the mildly positive range. If you imagine happiness on a scale from 1 to 10, then the majority of us would level off somewhere in the 6, 7 or 8 range. We have emotional highs and come back to mildly pleasant rather quickly.

Happy people have a trinity of happiness habits: they set goals, have rewarding social relationships and practice positive mental habits. These three practices can maximize your ability to live the life you want.

1. Set goals that are attainable, time bound, concrete, and that fit your values. You want to be moving towards something positive with your goals (for example, give a presentation that is well received) rather than avoiding something negative with your goal (don’t embarrass myself when giving the presentation). Goals that seek out a desirable outcome rather than avoiding negative consequences will give you satisfaction.

Happiness is a process rather than a destination. People who achieve goals that are important to them tend to savor the accomplishment and then move on to soar to new heights. The satisfaction that comes with achievement can be looked at as an emotional paycheck for a job well done. That paycheck can then be spent as a resource to work toward other new goals. In this way, happiness is a cup that truly overflows.

2. Happy people tend to their relationships as if they were gardens. They tend to the weeds with forgiveness and gratitude and supply lots of nourishment. Listen to this: the single quality shared by the happiest people is that they tend to have an abundance of rewarding social ties.

Be careful about putting too much weight on luxury, money and material goals. One of the most toxic aspects of materialistic values, psychologically speaking, is that these pursuits can steal time and attention away from nurturing relationships.

Practicing gratitude can help maintain close connections with others. Gratitude is linked to more helping behaviors, high positive emotions, life satisfaction, increased hope and lower feelings of anxiety and envy.

3. Happy people use positive thinking habits to maintain a sense of well being. They are less prone to self reflection (especially rumination about negative past events), less likely to engage in negative comparisons with peers, and are more likely to think of events positively (minimize daily hassles and savor the pleasure of successes). Research shows that anyone can get into the habit of “thinking happy.” Where is your attention focused? Focus on your personal wins, compliments, encouragement. Look for and appreciate the bright side of life. The way you think about the future – having an upbeat outlook is an important predictor of future success. Train your mind ‘you will see the results in your outer world!

So go ahead, set a new goal, start practicing gratitude, and watch your thoughts. What will you do differently today to begin living your life the way YOU want?

About the Author

Ann Ronan, Ph.D., RScP provides teaching, coaching and writing to help others live authentic lives doing what they most love. Receive her free e-course on the Top Ten Ways to Live Authentically -register at http://www.authenticlifeinstitute.com to begin this step-by-step program today.

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How To Make Yourself Happy -What is Stopping You From Happiness

Article by GS Virk

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What You Need To Know For Happiness

Article by Himanshu Madhan

Everybody of us wants to be happy. Happiness is primary goal of our life. We all want to be happy but we do not know how to go for it. Whenever we think about happiness many questions come in our mind like what I should do to become happy. Many of us even do not know whether they are happy or not. Sometimes we think we are happy and other time think that they are not. So though everyone wants to be happy, few know how to go about it. So what we need to be happy?

Well for being happy we need to plan first. Anything we want to achieve we need to plan for it, happiness is not different. If you plan for your career and any other thing you should plan for happiness too. Success in any field could not be achieved unless we plan. Happiness will not come to us by itself but we need to work for it. Any work done in wrong direction or of insufficient magnitude will also not bring success so plan for happiness too. Know I am going to help you in it. I will tell you how to get about it and How to take first step and all next steps. So, if you are serious about your life read on.

For to be happy you need to find answers of some questions. If you find answers to these questions which I am going to present here then you will be happy. This is planning for happiness. So simple just find answers to these questions and be happy for life. First question is you should know the meaning of happiness. If you do not know answer of important questions like meaning of happiness how you expect it comes to you. So first be clear what happiness is. What it means to be happy. Now second question to be asked and answered is what is relation between money and happiness? How much money is sufficient for being happy? Next question you should find answer to is that what is relation between love and happiness? Finally you should know how to be happy in present. If you get answers to these questions you will be happy always. How to find answers?

Finding answers will take some time but it is worth that, read some good books and some good blogs about happiness. Note it! Only good books and good blogs which touch your heart and give you simple and practical answers are worth reading. Do not read books or blogs which talk about serious philosophy or impractical ways. If you want to be happy your approach should be practical and realistic. You can also keep some good being happy quotes handy.

About the Author

Himanshu is a research scholar, pharmacist and student. He loves to read and write. His blog is About Love Life Happiness

The Source of the Secret of Happiness

Article by Rachell Ann Simbulan

What could possibly be the secret of happiness? The pursuit for happiness is inherent to every human being. All the efforts and achievements are focused to one goal, and that is how to find happiness. In order to answer this query, it is

necessary to know the perspective of the person that is looking for happiness.

What is Happiness?

When we try to discover something, it is important to know first the facts about it. Since, we are trying to know the secret of happiness; we have to get vital information about happiness. Happiness is defined as a feeling or a state of mind

that is characterized by sheer joy, satisfaction, pleasure, contentment or love. People, in their attempt to know how to find happiness, turned to several possible ways to look for its sources. The many ways to identify the sources of

happiness are through psychological, biological, philosophical, and religious means.

The source of happiness depends on what will satisfy the person looking for it. Happiness may originate from wealth, position in life, fame, knowledge, or having a good family.

Happiness from Material Wealth

Many people try to find the secret of happiness by having material possessions. They relate their happiness to wealth and work all their lives to haul many things. These people will be satisfied when they are able to acquire the top of the

line car model, building new huge homes, or being entertained by the latest electronic gadgets.

Happiness from Personal Achievement

Other people find the secret of happiness through personal achievement in their professions or careers. These people know how to find happiness by doing well in their jobs and achieving high position in work or society. They will always

feel happy when given commendations and promotions in relation to what they have achieved.

Happiness from Fame

The secret of happiness for many people in sports and entertainment industry is fame. Their happiness is from winning contests and being famous celebrities. They work all their lives mastering their sports in order to have victory. The

entertainers in singing and acting maintain their fame by providing their greatest performance at all times. Their happiness depends on how long they are able to maintain being at the top.

Happiness from Educational AchievementsThe secret of happiness to other people is from attaining the highest possible level of education. These individuals are not contended by just graduating from college, but they want to achieve higher level of learning such as master or

doctorate degrees. However, their quest will never end and will continue their learning as much as they could.

Happiness from Family

Many people declare that the secret of happiness is their families. These people know how to find happiness by just enjoying the company of their family. Their life is centered to relationship with parents, children and relatives. Their

family becomes the source of strength to face trials and inspiration for their achievements. People who are happy with their family cherish the experience as treasures in life.

About the Author

In the final analysis, finding happiness totally depends on the person looking for it. How to find happiness is based on personal preferences and priorities in life. This is determined by

knowing where people invest most of their efforts and aspirations. Combining these facts will determine how to find the secret of happiness. Felix Makmur is the owner of Secret of Happiness where he shares various tips and strategies that you can apply right now to find inner happiness in your life, regardless of your circumstances. Download your FREE Exclusive Report “How to Be Happy Now – 7 Powerful Secrets to Find Happiness No Matter What” and 30-Minute Relaxation Meditation MP3 Worth Over at http://www.secretofhappiness.net

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How To Distinguish Between Pleasure And Happiness

Article by Roseanna Leaton

<h2>Pleasure does not generally lead to happiness whereas happiness leads to the experience of greater pleasure. Happiness is felt in the moment whereas pleasure is felt for a moment. There is a huge difference between the two.</h2>

Many people think that they will find happiness when in fact they reach out in search of pleasure. They think that in finding pleasure they will also find happiness. But there is a distinction between the two and pleasure does not always (or even often) lead to the happiness. Happiness is experienced in the moment, whereas pleasure is only felt for a moment.

Pleasure can be easily felt through little things, like eating chocolate, when you taste its gooey sweet texture upon your tongue. Yet that pleasure is quickly dissipated, frequently followed by pangs of guilt. The pleasure was only felt for a fleeting moment and then it disappeared without trace. It did not lead to happiness.

Happiness will enable you to experience pleasure in greater depth and quantity. For example when you feel happy and eat chocolate you will enjoy the chocolate more than if you are feeling sad. When you feel happy and you are relaxed in the moment, pleasure is felt in everything that you see and do. Happiness opens your world to more pleasure more often. It prolongs and deepens your experiences of pleasure.

It is vitally important to be able to distinguish between happiness and pleasure. Many people fall into the same trap again and again; the trap of focusing upon pleasure in the misguided expectation or hope that through pleasure they will find happiness.

We have all fallen for this fallacy from time to time. We think that if we lose weight, have a new hair-cut, eat chocolate or ice-cream, have more money, achieve more success, and so on, we will then be happy. But in doing this we defer happiness. We are barking up the wrong tree.

Happiness comes from within as opposed to being derived from momentary symbols of pleasure. Happiness in felt in the moment. It is not based upon the tenet that “If I have XYZ I will then be happy”. Happiness doesn’t work like that. Happiness in felt whether you have ZXY or not. Happiness comes from you, not from what you have.

Once you appreciate that momentary pleasure does not lead to long-term happiness, you can stop wasting time, effort and money on these illusions. In fact, happiness is felt as soon as you start to look for it in the right place. Happiness is felt in the moment, in the present, and it comes from the way in which you choose to look at things.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in happiness hypnosis mp3 downloads.

P.S. Discover how you can focus your mind with hypnosis. Grab a free hypnosis download from my website now.

http://www.RoseannaLeaton.com

About the Author

Grab a free hypnosis mp3 from http://www.RoseannaLeaton.com and check out her library of happiness hypnosis mp3s.

Reap Your Own Happiness

Article by Deanna Mascle

One of my favorite expressions is that “you reap what you sow”. While I often hear it used negatively by someone who expects some “chickens to come home to roost” I prefer to think of it as something positive. How comforting to think that all our hard work and toil will be rewarded with a crop of something good? How wonderful to think that putting love and care into some project or person will indeed be rewarded.

Of course, while most Americans give lip service to the notion of our right to pursue happiness, all too many people do not really believe it applies to them. Many people simply believe they don’t deserve happiness. And even those few who do believe it seem to accept unhappiness as simple bad luck.

Every person does indeed deserve happiness and what is more happiness is contagious. The more happy people there are around then even more people will find happiness. We owe it ourselves to work on our own happiness and we owe it to society as well. Our own happiness will help others and inspire others to find happiness. If we are unhappy then we are likely making others unhappy as well (even if unintentionally) and it is extremely unlikely we are doing much to contribute to the happiness of others.

So how do you become a happy person? You simply reap your own happiness. But how? Take these four simple steps:

Step one — Ready Yourself For Happiness

You can accomplish this step by first determining that you want to be happy. Part of being happy is wanting to be happy. Once you have committed yourself to the course of finding happiness for yourself then you must rid yourself of the notion that happiness is luck or based on possessions or persons. No thing and no one can make you happy. Happiness comes from within yourself.

Step two — Envision Yourself As Happy

Every day when you first wake up and at various points during the day spend some time envisioning yourself as a happy person. Picture yourself laughing, smiling, relaxing. Imagine yourself as happy. The more you can fix this image of yourself as happy in your mind then the easier it will be for you to truly become happy.

Step three — Assume You Will Be Happy

Many people tend to assume that they will spend much of their lives either unhappy or at least not really happy. However we have all seen those people who do seem to be genuinely happy with their lives. They smile frequently, laugh often, and seem to be in good humor most of the time. Yet this is not because they are richer or more successful. Sometimes these people were just born with the good fortune to have an optimistic outlook that life has not yet knocked out of them, but often these people have simply chosen that they will be happy and they recognize that there is always something about their lives that makes them happy. You know this is true of yourself as well. Concentrate on the areas of your life that give you happiness whenever you feel unhappiness seeping in and no matter what assume that you will be, you can be, a happy person.

Step four — Pursue Your Happiness

Happiness is rarely a wonderful accident of fate. Happiness is rarely found by accident. While you may find happiness in unexpected places you must first open yourself to the possibility of happiness and prepare yourself to accept it when you find it. Some people are so miserable that they step right around happiness when they encounter. Don’t let this happen to you. What is more, don’t simply sit at home waiting for happiness to come knocking on your door. Go out and live life. Think about what currently makes you happy and spend time in those activities and think about what might make you happy and spend time experimenting. The more time you spend actively living your life then the more likely that you will also lead a happy life.

Remember, you deserve a happy life and you can lead a happy life, but in the end you reap what you sow. If you are sowing happiness in your life then you will reap happiness as well.

About the Author

Deanna Mascle shares more inspirational writings in her blog Words Of Inspiration at http://WordsOfInspirationOnline.info

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Happiness

Article by Paul Pearson

A curious thing can happen when we discover a sudden change in personal circumstances such as a life threatening experience or a forced sudden and dramatic transformation in life style due to physical or economic circumstances. Some of these people who, be they relatives, friends, neighbours or people we hear about in the mass media, may have been living together, in an ongoing state of irritation with conflict and anger on virtually every issue surrounding their life together, can suddenly make dramatic shifts, quite readily, in their consciousness. What became a relationship consistently of conflict or anger that had suffocated their love and happiness for many years disappears, with their disagreements fading away and becoming insignificant and their love for one another, OR LIFE IT SELF, re-emerges as though it had never left.What happens to cause this change of heart?

Quite simply, we don’t know exactly how this sudden shift occurs or even when this kind of shift will occur. We do know that they exist and that they can and do occur. A sudden shift in awareness can occur in any area of human life that has to do with how we feel. Remember when you were much younger you probably believed in perhaps Fairies or fairy story characters or perhaps a more personalised manifestation such as a monster. At some point you realised what had been very real to you no longer existed as part of your reality. What was it that made you realise that these things were no longer real and that they or it, had only existed in your own mind? Why, at that particular time did this new level of understanding happen? Most of us go through these shifts in life. The imagined characters that seem real when we are young are predictable shifts but do vary greatly when the shift in our consciousness occurs. People have moments of autonomy, if only fleeting. Gaining the ability to achieve greater periods of sustained self-sufficiency is desirable as it enables you to become a whole person and enriched.

Shifts occur when we look at the same set of facts or scenario in a new way producing another insight or understanding.

Our ultimate concern or simply put our goal be it a shift or continuity or not, is what dictates control of our life and as a consequence our happiness. That ultimate concern determines other values, beliefs, associated goals, feelings, and actions.

When we make other people’s approval our ultimate concern, then we make them our dominant force. We give up control of our lives and happiness. Seek your own approval not theirs. Let everyone have primary responsibility for his or her own happiness. Confusing “means” with “ends.” It’s not that having financial or career success cannot contribute to happiness. They obviously can contribute. But if one makes these means to happiness their end goals, then they become so focused upon the means that they may lose sight of the end happiness.

We do not have one ultimate concern, as most of us are far too diverse or disorganised or confused to be dedicated to what our most important value is or may be. We all owe allegiances to several valued concerns that constantly conflict with one another sometimes to our knowledge and at other times are simply not considered.

We have inner scuffles between our desires for success, love, friendship, security, fun, and contentment. Lack of integration among our higher values underlies much of our regular confusion and anxiety.

Some people are afraid that if they make their own happiness a primary goal in life, they will become, too self-indulgent. Happiness is probably the only human state that measures our overall physical and mental well being. It results from harmonising among our inner parts. We cannot deny important parts of ourselves and be fully happy. Happiness and love go hand-in-hand. Loving someone means we value his or her happiness. When we feel love, we feel happy, even if the love is for an object, an activity, or a person.

Responsibility follows control, so it follows that we are have greatest responsibility for our own happiness.

Why should someone else be more responsible for my happiness then I am-or vice-versa?

Have you ever been in a situation where no one will say what they really want and people are trying to make sure they please the other(s)? For example in trying to decide which restaurant to go to, one says,

“Where do you fancy to eating?”

“I don’t care; what do you want to eat?”

This continues until both people become thoroughly frustrated. Is it not better if both people say what they want while considering the other’s wishes?

How do you feel about other people being primarily in charge of your happiness?

How happy would you be if you sacrificed what you wanted so that you can give it up to someone else?

Do you feel more like doing something when you are doing it because you think you “should” or because you think it will make you happy?

Happiness is a moment-by-moment choice that each of us make. We must first choose to be happy and then make a commitment to that choice without changing anything in your life except your relationship with your own thinking. Do not confuse a commitment to happiness with a way to make life better in some way. This may seem strange at first but I am sure you can recall changes in your circumstances that have not lead to an improved level of happiness. Earning additional money, solving a problem, acquiring qualifications does not produce happiness. Happiness exists independently of your circumstances. Happiness is a feeling you can learn to live in.

Everything in your life is a consequence of the way you relate to your thinking. Commitment is an obligation and makes change much easier by removing uncertainty and anxiety and provides the freedom to let go of concerns as it fosters hope. Without commitment success in any venture is difficult. If you are dieting, stopping smoking, studying, starting a project or deciding to be happy, commitment is an important step. There is a great deal in life that is beyond your control. External circumstances touch us all, illness, accidents, other people’s reactions and their choices, all impact upon us. Despite all this you can make a choice regardless of what happens to be happy unconditionally. Attaching happiness to an outcome will simply create the same mental process to each specific outcome. Believing that happiness will come once you are married then leads on for example to being happy once you have children which then creates new circumstances to develop a new desire to obtain happiness having achieved the goal. For example, perhaps when your children pass certain stages in life such as the terrible two’s/ starting nursery/primary/secondary/sixth form/University/have a job/left home/get married is out the way, happiness will evolve and then you will be happy once you have enough money to meet the growing family needs. Believing that by solving our problems or improving our relationships will create contentment but this means that our happiness must be postponed until some future time when the preconditions are met. You may believe that you will one day arrive at a place, happiness but it will not be sustained without the decision to be happy. There is no way to happiness as happiness is the way if you are committed to the decision.

Your commitment to happiness itself should let go of all your preconditions. No matter how difficult it seems learn and practice the mental processes that will lead to happiness. Being happy isn’t always easy. It can be one of the great challenges in life. Mature and take responsibility for your own happiness – right now. Understanding is the common sense of knowing something in the here and now and that our life experience comes from the inside out and not from the outside in.

You cannot teach a man anything. You can only help him discover it within himself. Galileo

Focus on what you have and not on what you may lack. Commitment is the first step to bringing the future to the present.

About the Author

The author claims no credentials or special qualifications, other than a compulsion to write what he cares about. The author’s life has been marked by a generosity of spirit, by the vitality of his friendships, and by his personal struggles.

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A New Definition of Happiness

Article by Coach Alec

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

Happiness. It’s a word we hear about all the time. It’s something that we work for, that we work to achieve. Yet day by day we seem no closer to attaining it. Happiness eludes us.

Yes, we’ve had moments when we felt happy. Perhaps it was a wedding. Or a birth of a child. Or it was that other night, when we were hanging out with friends, or spending time with family. In those moments, we felt happy, truly, deeply happy. Transcendent almost.

And then it fades. Darkness ensues. The happiness is gone. In its place will often be a vacuum.

We ask, “What’s the point?” If we have the inalienable right to pursue happiness, then what is the point if we don’t feel like we can ever reach it, or achieve it? That which we want more than anything, to be happy, seems to be something that we can’t have.

Maybe if we had more money! That’s really all we need! Or maybe it’s that brand spankin’ new 3D-LED HD TV. A new car? Yes, that’s it!

No, no it’s not money or things we want, but we want a relationship. A man or woman who will complete us – that will make us happy! If we’re in a relationship – if only we weren’t in the relationship!

But then we get those things and after a brief honeymoon we’re back where we started.

Empty. Sad. So we try to think of other things. And the cycle continues.

It seems we can’t be happy. So what do we do?

We employ distraction. We watch TV (obsessively) to distract ourselves from our lives so we don’t have to think about how miserable we are or how miserable the world is. We drink. We smoke. We eat. We check our phones every thirty seconds.

We take subconscious shortcuts to happiness. Yet we never seem to be any happier, if anything, the shortcuts seem to be part of the problem. Then we become addicted to the distractions and we are even more unhappy. Turn on the 11:00 news – you know what I mean. The world sucks, so how can we be happy anyway?

A NEW DEFINITION OF HAPPINESS

After spending the last paragraphs utterly depressed it’s time to step away from the ledge. Because we can be happy. But in order to be happy we have to unlearn everything we’ve ever thought about or even lived about happiness.

First – what happiness ISN’T.

Happiness is not an endpoint.

If our goal is to achieve happiness then we will never be happy.

Yes, read that again.

Happiness is not the goal. The pursuit of happiness is an illusion. If we pursue happiness we will never reach it.

Until now we’ve thought about happiness as the destination. It’s not.

“Wait, what are you talking about?”

We have been told from everyone – parents, teachers, politicians, tv personalities, that the goal of our lives is to achieve happiness. It’s in the Declaration of Independence! Can Thomas Jefferson be wrong?

Yes, it’s everywhere. We are told time and time again that we must pursue happiness. We are told the goal of our lives is to be happy.

Yet how many of us are happy? Not many. Because we cannot pursue happiness. Let me rephrase, we can pursue happiness if we wish, but we’ll never get there. Our efforts will be futile. We know this because we have lived this. We are living this.

It’s time for us to develop a new concept of happiness. It’s time for us to redefine happiness because our current definition is just not working. No – it’s worse than that. Our current definition, of happiness as our goal/destination is simply wrong.

So what is happiness?

Happiness is a result.

Happiness is what results when we are on the path we instinctually know that we should be on. Happiness is what results when we are growing, when we are expanding, when we are developing.

Happiness is not something we can do, or achieve. It’s a result. It’s a byproduct. When we are growing, when we are expanding, the result will be happiness.

We will never achieve happiness if our goal is happiness.

Our goal must be one of expansion, growth, development. While we are working toward that goal, we will be happy.

Happiness is not about smiling. It isn’t about the expression of joy on the face. We might be toiling harder than we have ever toiled before. The expressions on our faces might be one of pain, contempt. But inside we will be singing because we are working on ourselves and developing and growing. The result is happiness.

Therefore, the key, the key for you to be thinking about right now is – are you on the right path? Are you learning? Are you growing? Are you developing? Because when you can honestly answer “Yes” to those questions, then you will be on your journey, and the result will be happiness.

About the Author

Do you know how many people in their 30s and 40s feel stuck in their current jobs, or have no idea in which direction they should turn? I help them figure it all out. After being an accomplished attorney, I have found my path as a coach and motivational speaker who helps his clients find their true passions. Contact Alec at alec@coachalec.com.

Music video by Alexis Jordan performing Happiness. (C) 2010 Star Roc LLC
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