15 Oct What Is Happiness?
Please enjoy this happiness article from the American Chronicle.
What Is Happiness?
Aditya Mohatta
October 13, 2007
Surprisingly, many of us wish to be happy and feel like we don”t know what it feels like. We may have been struggling with depression for a long time. We think we will be happy when we find perfect love, or don”t have to worry about money, or don”t have problems with our family, or if we can only be a success.
These things can help happiness but they aren”t really what makes happiness. You could have a great love, money, success, and a loving family and still be depressed. Happiness happens in the “in between” spaces. It happens in moments when we relax and appreciate the little things. When we are able to find happiness within ourselves and the little moments of the day, it actually makes it much easier to find love, have better relationships, be more successful in our career, and many other things.
What makes a person happy is a little different for each person, and you need to find what makes you happy. Keep a notebook and for a while write down every time you smile or feel good. Even if you are depressed, you will find that you laugh at television shows, that you feel good after taking a walk, that your friends sometimes make you laugh or maybe you enjoy learning things. You might also enjoy a good cup of coffee or company with a pet.
These little things are the foundation of happiness. Happiness is relishing the good parts of your life and not dwelling on the sad parts so long. It is about learning to like yourself rather than being so hard on yourself. It takes practice to be happy. If you have wonderful things happen to you and you are not in the practice of noticing the enjoyments you already have, then not even big successes will help. Sure, you”ll be happy if you win the lottery for a little while, but then you will go back to taking what is in your life for granted, because that is your habit.
It is your habits you must change to be happy. Your circumstances will eventually follow to reflect your habits in larger ways, but there are things to be happy about in each day, you just need to find them.