How will you find happiness?

eyeslice

In the truth, happiness is equated with a stable family life, a hope for the future and working for the cause.

I still believe the same, just may be the cause isnt the same any more.

starfish422

Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Happiness is the day-to-day things in life, not the finish line.

RubyTuesday

What makes you happy may make someone else miserble...depends on each individual.

Instead of hoping for a projected future which may or may not happen, why don't we just enjoy what we have now? The observation about the cause is a good one, because we do tend to try and figure out what will bring us joy and then try to get that in an effort to secure happiness. But this is the same mind set as hoping for paradise in that you are waiting for a future point in time to be happy, and there is a tendancy to put life on hold and start living only when you've got what you think makes you happy. Instead of clinging to some ideas about what makes us happy, what about simply being open to what life has to offer now? We can become so selective that we never actually live.

happyout

One of my "new years resolutions" is no more bitterness. I won't be bitter at my crappy job because it pays the bills. I won't be bitter at that crappy religion, because it seems to make the rest of my family happy. I won't be bitter at my crappy husband who won't help with the housework, because ........... uh ................because. So, I will find some happiness in working to be the best person I can be, and getting people to treat my the way I want to be treated. My main happiness, joy, and reason for living continues to be my wonderful two year old son.

whyhideit

Happiness is a personal state of mind, that needs to be found on an individual basis. To me, happiness is "no fear to explore and experience what ever life throws me."

pr_capone

That is a great thought whyhideit, I must agree.

Sentinel

When good things happen, we are first filled with gladness, thankfulness and joy. Yet, on the downside, sometimes our good means that another will face a loss or a sadness. Sometimes we ourselves cannot believe our good fortune, or a turn of events. Then we flip-flop and begin to cry. Anybody notice that happening to them? It's happened to me many times.

Also, on the flip side, when something happens that is unfair, or we lose someone we love through death, that makes us very sad, we cry, we burst into tears, only later to see things in a different perspective, and we begin to smile inwardly and outwardly, and it gives us great peace. It's acceptance of the things we cannot change.

True happiness can be present, even when unhappy or bad things are occuring. It is your deep inner well or resevoir of acceptance, no matter what is going on. It is being able to accept both of these sides of our existance, but still maintaining emotional balance. In other words, can you have something terrible happen to you, but still be happy inside? I believe you can. This is how people on their death bed cope with leaving this world, leaving loved ones behind and moving on through the next door. And this is how we let them go. Acceptance brings peace, even in death.

Happiness is long term, and joy is a temporary emotion, but even I am guilty of equating them together. We think if we have joy, then we ought to have happiness, or if we have happiness, that we should be joyful. I don't believe that is necessarily true.

For a very long time, most folks would have never known the great unhappiness that I carried around with me. (I was labeled as serious and shy from the time of childhood) It was a heavy weight on my shoulders as a mere child--it was in fact, among other things that occured in my life, the addition of the great borg effect that nearly toppled me. I might have "appeared" to be happy because I would smile, and joke and cover up my inner turmoil. But inside I was miserable and lost. It was a painful existance.

It took me years to discover what true happiness meant, and now I have built up a resevoir within my soul, where I can keep my emotions regulated in a more healthy way. There is a great peace that comes with being able to do this. I still suffer from depression at times, but I know that I will rise out of it and be alright.

For me, it was asking myself one simple question: What do I want out of this life? What do I expect from it? How can I make myself, remold myself into fitting that "picture", and the biggie: Am I willing to do what it takes? Once I made a commitment to myself to do that, I just took it one step at a time. You see, everyone faces this aspect about themselves, sooner or later.

The answer to "how will you find happiness" is very individual. It really isn't something you just "find". It's something you work for to achieve, and then work to make certain you never lose it altogether.