What does "Happiness" mean to you?
 

If someone were to ask you what "Happiness" was, what would you say?

I'm not asking about "Success". I want to know what makes you "Happy". What single life-changing event would make you "Happy" for a majority of your life (I know there are situations we can't handle).

So what is "Happiness" in your definition?

Re: What does "Happiness" mean to you?
 

Happiness is fleeting -- it's not a constant.

There's yin and yang for a reason; night and day; up and down; north and south. I think too much "happiness" would lead to unhappiness.

I think true "happiness" is the ability to get high off your good moments as well as experience the high of a low moment.

Life's full of examples:

A shallow person would say "happiness" is all the money in world only to have it and then find out that a lot of money just creates a whole different set of problems.

Too little money and life becomes a rat race, a struggle just to pay the bills and one day, you've discovered life has passed you by.

Happiness is balance. It's not having to deal with too many worries, but it's also having enough worries to remind you that you're human.

Re: What does "Happiness" mean to you?
 

I totally agree with usually clueless - of course money is important (and the old saying 'I'd rather be miserable with it than without it'!) But everyone needs a reason to get up in the morning :)

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Happiness is, not was, I hope.

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In my own personal explanation I think happiness is having a complete balance and contentment in every situation in life. I can very well relate to this quote as well :

"Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence." ~ Aristotle

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The subject cause me too much thinking of what it really means to me.

Well, achieving what I want makes me happy, as well as simple things makes me happy, like waking up every morning and being grateful for another day given, and seeing my loved ones makes me happy.

The feeling of happiness depends on everyday life situations...

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I think happiness is a choice you make and the satisfaction that comes with it...you cant quite define it but depends with individuals.

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@UsuallyClueless, I agree on many levels with what you have to say about happiness :)

I believe too many people think that "Happiness" means having all the money in the world. People tend to think that just by having money they won't have any problems and they are wrong. It'll just be a different type of problem.

Think of it this way.

If you have too much money, you run the possibility of letting your wants get ahead of your needs. Which in many cases has caused people to go completely broke or go insane. It's also true that some people that have too much money don't "progress" as quickly as those without.

If you have too little money, your needs almost always come first.

I believe true "Happiness" doesn't really deal with money.

I've seen some people that are so extremely happy it's amazing. They have literally nothing but the clothes they wear and shoes on their feet, but they are enjoying every moment of their life.

Then I see others whom have what some would consider "everything" and they are absolutely miserable.

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Happiness will alway vary to many. For me I think its a choice how you react to certain things determings you happiness or joy for that matter.

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Finding happiness is like finding yourself. You don’t find happiness, you make happiness. You choose happiness. Self-actualization is a process of discovering who you are, who you want to be and paving the way to happiness by doing what brings YOU the most meaning and contentment to your life over the long run.

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Happiness? In the Western World that is nearly impossible, everyone is working against you in terms of success, which is nearly impossible to achieve as the entire USA is a battlefield where everyone is your enemy. I find peace in trance music, when I'm not working 247 to beat everyone; which people hate you, because they are jealous.

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Yea money has as much to do with happiness as does cheeseburgers or cars.
Money is just a thing.

If you like cheeseburgers then they make you happy. If you don't like them, then they don't make you happy.

In my opinion the same is true with money.

Re: What does "Happiness" mean to you?
 

@Alex,

I absolutely agree.

Money is just an object to possibly acquire the things that make you happy.

However, it's not always required.

As an example, I really enjoy motorcycles. And although yes, it does cost to purchase the motorcycle and then pay for the gas and equipment (I ride safe), after that's all said and done just knowing that I have a motorcycle pleases me enough.

If I couldn't afford to pay for the gas, then I simply wouldn't ride it. But I would still be happy knowing that I have it.

I know that's a bad example, but let's just say I could make my own gas and repair my own motorcycle (which I can), then BLAM! I no longer have to worry about money (except for insurance... but that's a requirement lol).

So I believe money is more of a way to get to a point. But once you are at that point, you don't ultimately "need" money to be happy.

P.S. For those wondering I own a 1992 Suzuki GSX 600 and a 2009 Kawasaki ER-6n. I love my babies :)

Re: What does "Happiness" mean to you?
 

There was a time that happiness meant my mama and papa. Now my baby mama

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You don't need money or objects to make yourself happy, all you need is a smile :)

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Happiness means doing what you like, and getting intangible rewards for it :)

Ex. working on Internet Marketing than working on a 9-5 job, getting rewarded because I feel good about myself teaching others what I know

Re: What does "Happiness" mean to you?
 

The definition can explain what it is... maybe an even better question to ask is... how can i develop a lifestyle that promotes more and more happiness for me?

.... the definitions...

(1)Happiness - state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.

–noun
1.
the quality or state of being happy.
2.
good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy.

Definition of Happy
1.
delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing: to be happy to see a person.
2.
characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or joy: a happy mood; a happy frame of mind.
3.
favored by fortune; fortunate or lucky: a happy, fruitful land.
4.
apt or felicitous, as actions, utterances, or ideas.
5.
obsessed by or quick to use the item indicated (usually used in combination): a trigger-happy gangster. Everybody is gadget-happy these days.

Re: What does "Happiness" mean to you?
 

True Love - Of All Living Things

Good Food, Good Friends, Good Lovers(s), & Good Family Too.

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If you are happy in your personal life it will overflow into other parts
of your life. Thinking positive also helps.

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I believe happiness is only fleeting if you are happy due to external events or situations. If you can cultivate a place of peace and clarity within then you can experience happiness and joy no matter what is going on around you in your external world.

My definition of happiness is when I am peaceful within along with feeling inspired and joyful. I seek all of these feelings from deep within me and then they flow out into anything I choose to experience that day.

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This is king of difficult to answer because happiness can be fleeting or long-lasting. If you mean the former, well, winning the lotto can give you fleeting happiness. What to do with your winnings would constitute the long-lasting happiness. And that's where the problem lies. With much fast-food mentality, we are so engrossed with fleeting happiness over the long-lasting kind.

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For me happiness is an attitude. It has nothing to do with situation, fortune, people, things, etc. It is how I see life: I'm happy that I am alive. Anything on top of that is a bonus :)

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Knowing that I can be, do, and have everything I want in life. And, appreciating everything I already have.

: )

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I think Happiness is a mind frame where no matter what we experience in life, we feel contentment inside and show compassion to others at all times.

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I think that happiness is an attitude. If we are happy and think positive, good things happen to us. :)

Cheers!

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what makes us happy is just everything that makes us smile. Maybe it is indeed all the simple things in life, or rather things that we too often consider as self-evident and given and that are actually not at all simple. Things like having true friends or a supportive family, or being healthy.

Re: What does "Happiness" mean to you?
 

In my status in life, my freedom and the love of my children.

Re: What does "Happiness" mean to you?
 

Happiness means having the freedom to do what I love.

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Happiness is impart a reflection of self gratification, which is critically important to maintain and nurture, especially - in achieving your personal success.

For example:

If you hate your job, it's often difficult to find happiness, and in essence, perform successfully. (*Just look at many people in the workforce, they radiate 'misery' and it effects their performance, and their long term success.)

However, if you change your perception(s) and acquire a different mindset (and enjoy knowing) that the 'job' is temporary, as you strive towards and focus on; what does make you truly happy - you can be happy (performing miserable tasks) in knowing; it's only a few hours, weeks, or months until you complete the steps to arrive at the destination you prefer - which is, doing what makes you happy.

So, in conclusion happiness is the results of your own actions, mindset, and ability to sustain your desired lifestyle- to me, hapiness is the pursuit of freedom!

Re: What does "Happiness" mean to you?
 

Finding true self and come to realize how to fully maximize it.

Re: What does "Happiness" mean to you?
 

Waking up each morning with a smile on my face.

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To me, happiness means consistently and frequently feeling good physically, emotionally, cognitively and spiritually. To me, it also means not feeling the opposite of that at least the majority of the time.

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To me, there are two different types of happiness.

Firstly, financial happiness - as in; am I stressing over upcoming bill payments? Can I afford to put food on the table for my family? As other members stated, you don't "need" money for happiness, but you do need money to stay off the streets. Streets = unhappy.

And secondly, work happiness - as in; am I happy to wake up every day, for the rest of my life doing what I'm doing? Of course you can be making over 100k a year, but that doesn't necessarily mean one is happy. I know garbage collectors that are happier then lawyers…

Re: What does "Happiness" mean to you?
 

Good question... I always thought it meant he killed the womans husband or lover. But I never knew for sure.

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Happiness to me is being able to do what I want in life, spend time with my love ones and be financially free. Of course, the latter is still a work in progress :)

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Lack of stress makes me happy.

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For me, Happiness consists of being at peace with my thoughts.

LLS

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For me, happiness is an attitude of being contented. Be what you are and do anything you wanted.

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Re: What does "Happiness" mean to you?
 

This is a great question.

I think happiness is a mindset. You can choose to look at all the things to complain about which will cause unhappiness, or you can choose to be grateful for all you have which will lead to happiness.

And when life throws you unfavorable or even painful circumstances you can choose to be a victim or you can choose to be a champion.

I don't think it's a single event or thing or person; it's a state of mind.

Re: What does "Happiness" mean to you?
 

Happiness is definitely no just about money but it is about having a happy well balanced life. Being happy spiritually , mentally & with your friends and family.

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Hi

I feel happiness is not in the possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement. The only way you can be happy is - when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. Happiness is not something ready made, it comes from your own actions.
I strongly fell that you need to have some principles in life. The main 3 I like to follow are family, friends and spirituality. I feel happy when I help to bring smile on someone's face.

May god bless you all with lots of happiness.
Rita.
InfoBuzz.

Re: What does "Happiness" mean to you?
 

We all strive for something called "happiness," but at the end of the day only you can determine what makes you happy. Just because someone has a lot of money or success doesn't mean they're happy. I like to look at life as not so much of a journey to find happiness but more of a journey to experience life. I know, some deep thoughts here.

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For me happiness = freedom (if simplified).

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For me happiness is as simple as not being bored.

Achieving happiness is not so simple. I don't believe it is necessarily tied to money, or health, or status. I can think of many examples where some of the happiest people I have met were "poor", "low class" or in "bad health". What made them happy? What makes me happy?

For me, my happy place is decided by my job, my relationship, and my hobbies. I think it is important to have an enjoyable and interesting job, that keeps you motivated and suitably challenged and engaged. Ten hour days feel like one. Plenty of goals and achievements.

Next I make sure relationships (personal and business) are exciting, inspirational and passionate. Spur of the moment activities help.

Finally, I get my adventure with hobbies. Can't go wrong with walking/camping.