| What is the definition of 'happiness?' Is it material | | | | more aggrivation. So, is happiness honestly just |
| wealth filled with fancy cars, a dream house, | | | | comprised of 'things?' |
| extravagant furs and jewelry? Or is happiness simply | | | | Sometimes, we virtually trade our lives for not only |
| having a roof over your head? Food in the fridge? | | | | basic necessities, but for excessive items and services |
| Having a child? A pet? A swimming pool? A designer | | | | as well. We become so obcessed with finding |
| Gucci bag? Parents? Grandchildren? Love? Money? | | | | happiness, that we lose sight of the fact that |
| The perfect job? Winning the Lottery? | | | | happiness is within - always. Certainly you've heard of |
| According to the American Heritage(R) Dictionary, | | | | individuals trying to 'find themselves,' or 'rediscover |
| 'happiness' is derived from the Middle English word hap | | | | themselves...' The reason they are attempting these |
| - meaning 'Luck.' But does happiness really have | | | | innovative approaches is because they are seeking |
| anything to do with 'luck?' Based on this description, | | | | inner happiness. But the point has been missed: |
| one could assume that if you avoided a fatal traffic | | | | Happiness is already there. |
| accident but got fired by coming late to work, you | | | | Disappointments and tragedies in life will come and go, |
| would be filled with 'happiness?' Is it luck or what you | | | | but happiness never leaves you. The human's capacity |
| make of it? Maybe, 'happiness' is exactly defined by its | | | | to be resilient to trials is unfathomable. We can lose our |
| indirect alias: happ iness - perhaps, happiness is in fact | | | | jobs, but be grateful for our spouses. We can lose our |
| defined by the fortune that we permit to happen. | | | | homes to nature, but be thankful to be alive. |
| Do you recall a time....ah, let's say when you were | | | | Spiritually speaking, there's a saying that 'God only |
| about 5 years old - what defined happiness back | | | | gives what one can take.' Whether it be God, Allah, |
| then? Was it getting a puppy for Christmas? Or | | | | Budah, or Jesus Christ - the basic precept remains the |
| maybe, you were a child of divorce; and all you | | | | same: Survival. We survive, we overcome, we live. |
| wanted was for Mom and Dad to get back together | | | | And happiness is a big part of how we live. You'll hear |
| again? Then as you got older, you were hoping that | | | | gamblers spending their last change, all the while |
| someone would ask you to the prom...that would've | | | | praying to God, '....please, God - just this one last time....if |
| made your day, maybe your life...for the moment. | | | | I win, I'll never ask you for another thing.' And |
| During college, good grades made you happy, but it | | | | sometimes, we, ourselves have been in situations |
| was short-lived. Because in the real world, you had to | | | | where we've asked for things, like, '....God, if you let me |
| look for a job, and competition was stark. It's an | | | | have this job, I won't bother you again..." and we know |
| employer's world....you thought. But then, you got the | | | | that this is further from the truth. We ritualistically begin |
| perfect job - now you could be happy - or could you? | | | | bartering with the Higher Power, or we utter constant |
| Life requires more than just what we want. Inevitably, | | | | complaints of unhappiness and despair, because we |
| one must understand to truly find 'happiness,' he must | | | | can't have our ways. |
| make his own happiness 'happen.' Sounds a bit | | | | Again you see that happiness is a perception of each |
| redundant, but truthfully, there is no set guidelines that | | | | individual. We are instinctively compelled to find fault in |
| will bring one happiness. There is no 'magic wand' we | | | | our lives. By human nature, we begin our 'fault-finding' |
| can wave to bring joy into our lives. Human nature | | | | mission the moment we're capable of free-thinking. It is |
| thrives on the thrill of the chase. We dream and we | | | | then, that we lose sense of self-worth and the bigger |
| hope for the next big break - it is the grand adventure | | | | picture of vitality altogether. Stuck in the patterns of |
| of living. | | | | the happiness paradox, we simply cannot find where |
| We are hopeless creatures of comfort. We like having | | | | our happiness has gone. |
| and accumulating things. Whether one admits to it or | | | | It's not a matter of bargaining, it's not an issue of |
| not, to a certain degree, we all try to keep up with 'the | | | | money or fame - instead, happiness is what you |
| Jones.' We work so we can pay our rents, mortgages, | | | | resolve to accept. If we live through optimistic hope; if |
| credit card debts, school loans, car payments...the list | | | | we dare to dream; if we empower ourselves to fully |
| goes on and on. And at some point, we realize, that | | | | live; then we have regained our sense of happiness. |
| aside from having most of what we want, we still | | | | There is no in between. There is no other replacement. |
| aren't happy. Now since we've learned to adapt to | | | | We only have one physical life to live - we have no |
| new standards which we've created for ourselves, | | | | choice but to make the most of it. We might as well |
| we find that we have less time, less patience, less | | | | live happy. |
| sleep, which equates to more stress, more worry and | | | | |