Wikipedia states: Happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources.
What does it mean to you?
When you think about being happy what do you see?
Looking at your own life, do you ‘feel’ happiness?
No two people are the same and therefore happiness for one person might not bring about the same thoughts, feelings and images for another person. Yet quite often people ‘rely’ on other people to ‘make’ them happy.
For true happiness to fill your life it must come from within, from you. It is not something to be handed to you by another or earned… it is a choice you make. Once you make that choice you are then free to support it with the actions, situations and people that further enhance it.
For example, I love family time; it is truly special to me. Being able to sit with my siblings and family, discuss life, business, politics, just about any topic is joyful for me because I love being with my family. It is the being with them that makes my heart sing; their company and their love enhance my centred happiness.
I believe that happiness is there for the taking. Being happy in yourself first and then letting it flow through the rest of your life to people you enjoy being with, places you like to visit, books you love to read, etc.
Have you noticed how certain pieces of music can lift your mood, enhance your happiness? How a kind word or random act of kindness makes you smile? These things touch the happiness that resides within you and lights it up like a torch. So if you make the decision to switch the torch on just because you can, how much more happiness is radiated when positive situations and loving people add to its glow?
No one can dictate to you what you should do to bring about happiness; it is your place to bring it to life.
The exception would be a person who derives happiness from physically or emotionally harming someone. No one has the right to inflict pain on another in order to gain a sense of happiness. And I would question whether it is actual happiness they are experiencing or just the rush of power and control.
We all need to feel pleasure, be engaged and interact with others as well as have a life that we feel is worthwhile to be truly happy... and it is our decision to be happy that can bring all of these things into fruition.
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