What is happiness? Is it the excitement of roller-coasters, going on new adventures, buying a new car, spending time with family, or going out to a party? That all sounds fun, but are all examples of pleasure, not happiness. Pleasures come and go; whereas happiness is when you feel content. When all of your needs are fulfilled, then you become satisfied. True happiness may be hard to achieve, but it’s the journey to the top that brings bliss. Some people spend years trying to find what their purpose is and what it means to live. The key to life is happiness. To live means to be happy. To be happy means to live. Why else would you want to live?
Happiness can mean a variety of things depending on the person. Some people believe money will bring them happiness, while others believe the only way they can achieve happiness is if they find love. In reality, it does not have some deep thought provoking meaning. The simplest people tend to be the happiest. Imagine walking late at night and looking up at the stars. If you are content with just breathing in the cool air and pointing out different constellations, then you are an easy-to-please type of person. Although, the majority of people are not as easily satisfied.
I have asked many people if they are happy and most reply with “No, but I will be when I...” I would then ask them “How long will that take? How can you live without being happy? Why would you want to live if you are not happy?” but no one had a definite answer to these questions.
To be happy means to live in the now. Why should we predict that the future will be any better than it is now? People who tend to think that the future will be significantly better than our present possess optimistic bias. They have high expectations for the future, yet maintain low expectations for the present; which causes a decrease in their happiness. Unrealistic goals will also decrease happiness. If you believe that one day you will create world peace, most likely you will be disappointed.
The past can be misleading. Unless depressed, most people continuously contemplate their past, and only focus and remember the good things that happened; which, in turn, causes the allusion that the past was a better time.
Unless depressed, most people think about their past and only focus and remember the good things that happen, which causes an allusion that the past was a better time. Depression is a controversial topic because it is difficult to control and causes a person’s happiness to be stripped from them. Fortunately, we have the resources to isolate depression and find remedies that will help increase happiness.
Most everyone has heard the phrase “A happy wife equals a happy life.” While that statement sounds sexist, it contains some truth. Observations show that people who are in a healthy relationship are happier. If your partner’s happiness contributes to your happiness, then you both will benefit from a healthy relationship. On the other hand, if your partner is irritable and hard to please then you will spend time trying to focus on doing what makes them happy and ignoring your own self needs.
Reality is that no one can be happy every minute of the day, but that is not a bad thing. In fact, dissatisfaction motivates people to change the situation they are in. Knowing that happiness exists and is obtainable will help someone appreciate it more. When you were younger, and your mom gave you a cookie without you having to work for it, then you began to take it for granted. If you had to work in order to get the cookie, then most likely the cookie tasted better once rewarded. Being happy will be more enjoyable once you realize and understand that it is impossible to be happy in every aspect.
Understanding that it is impossible to be happy in every aspect helps to make it more enjoyable when you are happy. So in the end, knowing unhappiness is normal will lead you to more happiness. Happiness is not given to; it is earned.
