Happiness Is A Choice

by Jonathan 2.0 Banned
33 replies
You're as happy as you make your mind up to be.

What does that mean exactly? Well one of the most
important components of Happiness is to be grateful
for everything you have. Many People are "chasing"
happiness (and many times that works ... However
most of the time ― it doesn't and/or doesn't last.

Something I learned from Wallace Wattles (The
Science Of Getting Rich ...) is:

"The mental attitude of gratitude draws the mind into
closer touch with the source from which all blessings
come. There is a law of gratitude, and it is absolutely
necessary that you should observe the law, if you are
to get the results you seek."


Right now you have countless things to be grateful for.
(Like literally hundreds ...) For example:

I love all the People (Family and Health Care
Professional etc.) that have helped me overcome
Social Anxiety, Depression, and Schizophrenia.

I love my wonderful flat (that is my little space in the
World)

I love all my wonderful food and shopping

I love all of my amazing Family, Friends, and
Associates.

I love all of my skills, talents, aptitudes (etc.)

I love my Personality ... And how it has shaped
me in Life.

I love being "Born Again"

I pretty much love everything.
: )

I love all my Personal Development Books (Including
the most recent one from my Brother Dennis for
Christmas.)

(Etc., etc.)

What can you be grateful for Today? Maybe
turn it into a daily ritual to be Thankful for
everything you have

2C
#choice #happiness
  • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
    Banned
    P.S.
    If you're ever feeling down and/or "depressed" (etc.) ...
    Then definitely practice being grateful for all your
    wonderful blessings. The more you do this ... The
    more you will attract similar thoughts until you have a
    whole harvest of amazing thoughts about everything
    you love about your Life.

    Jonathan
    : )
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  • Profile picture of the author tagiscom
    Yes, l am grateful for all night Liquor outlets!




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  • Profile picture of the author Odahh
    my boats of depression at this point are generally because of biology ..so they are like being hungry.. or having bad gas ..it passes ...

    most of the time it really near impossible for most people to be happy for any amount of time..with that huge list of thing to be miserable about they cary and list off to others regularly ..when that person does feel happy for a time ..those people around them recite the list untill a person is again miserable .

    so gratitude helps ..but working on fixing the thing that make you miserable.. is the most effective path to being happy more often ..

    the problem come from idolizing one emotional state as above the others when there is a range of emotions we go through.. the real ideal is not getting stuck in one ..our being is based of cycles ..if you are going to be physically fit with strong muscles you have to work those muscles hard for periods of time then let them rest ..same with eating a full belly might make you feel good for a while .. or happy.. but it works out better if you don't eat again until you are hungry and stop eating or learn the portion size for you to not be stuffed but be satisfied .
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  • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
    Originally Posted by Jonathan 2.0 View Post

    You're as happy as you make your mind up to be.
    Jonathan;

    I respectfully disagree. If you can choose to be happy, why isn't everyone happy?

    If it's really a choice, here's an experiment. Be 50% happier for the next 10 minutes.

    Happiness or sadness is far less about the world around you (unless you are seriously poor or in a bad relationship), and more about brain chemistry.
    Endorphins are the chemicals that gives you the sensation of happiness. Strong religious conviction, love, heroin, and dark chocolate will give you the same endorphin rush.

    Frankly, I don't understand what people even mean by happiness. If someone asked me "What makes you happy?", I wouldn't have an answer.

    But pretty much everyone I know is either the kind of person that is generally content with their life, or not. And their circumstances don't change their view. Why? Because brain chemistry is what governs our moods, for the most part.

    I don't know what makes people happy. But I know what makes them feel good about themselves...helping others without seeking reward.

    Just a thought.
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    • Profile picture of the author Odahh
      Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

      Jonathan;

      I respectfully disagree. If you can choose to be happy, why isn't everyone happy?

      If it's really a choice, here's an experiment. Be 50% happier for the next 10 minutes.

      Happiness or sadness is far less about the world around you (unless you are seriously poor or in a bad relationship), and more about brain chemistry.
      Endorphins are the chemicals that gives you the sensation of happiness. Strong religious conviction, love, and dark chocolate will give you the same endorphin rush.

      Frankly, I don't understand what people even mean by happiness. If someone asked me "What makes you happy?", I wouldn't have an answer.

      But pretty much everyone I know is either the kind of person that is generally content with their life, or not. And their circumstances don't change their view. Why? Because brain chemistry is what governs our moods, for the most part.

      I don't know what makes people happy. But I know what makes them feel good about themselves...helping others without seeking reward.

      Just a thought.
      I am going to strey into darkness with this response ..but i personal have witness that trying to fix ones life by trying to be more happy or do thing that cause temporary happiness ..while ignoring and not doing anything about the long list of things on the misery list.. usually lead to self destruction or drug alcohol and other addictions .

      I am very sensitive to cold temperatures ..so the fact i lived in the northeast UNited states where it was cold enough 6-7 months out of the year outside which tilted me deep toward the depression side of my biology ..and then indoors was artificially cooled 2 months out of the year ..in some cased to much for me ..i never got into drug or drinking..but there where plenty of paths to pursue happiness that i don't have to list.. that never got anywhere ..

      It wasn't until about 4 years ago that i started really working on scratching off the items on the misery list .. but my family was intent on rewriting them ..while i was taking care of my parents before they died . which though it literally almost killed me.. i got to see the the programming in my family ..

      anyway the last five months being homeless in tucson Arizona ..where it has been unusually warm .. i have had very little problems with depression and much of what was making me miserable is not present ..I am about to move across the country to somewhere in south florida .. because fore long term success and health reasons i need to where i can grow much of my own food and eat food as fresh as possible .. it was my parents diets that gave them the most health problems the last 15 years of their lives .. and i am drawn to growing food but more high end spices and herbs .. and see a potential from building a business from that ..

      one thing that has caused misery over time was the physical and mental damage from the jobs i have had in the past ..and one thing i know that leads me to being happier ..is feeling productive and feeling like what i do matters ..

      so right now there being homeless actually have the shortest things that make me miserable list of my life..but the top two spots are i feel bored and unproductive .

      humans are not designed to have one thing make them happy ..or cause excitement ..we are naturally designed to have a long list of problems to solve ..and each time we solve it we get a burst of joy ,happiness or excitement
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    • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
      Banned
      Hi Claude.

      Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

      I don't understand what people even mean by happiness. If someone asked me "What makes you happy?", I wouldn't have an answer.
      Yeah the concept of "Happiness" is somewhat elusive. (And there are many definitions/interpretations.)

      However my favourite one right now would be: "A sense of well-being, joy, and contentment." And that can be achieved in part by virtue of a Person's thoughts. They can if they choose to influence their emotions -- by their thinking and their actions ... (As all three are interlinked.)

      Personally what makes me happy is "Empowering and inspiring People." (At the moment, through my Websites ...)

      Generally speaking ... If a Person desires that sense of well-being, joy, and contentment ... They should be thinking positive and empowering thoughts that are congruent with their goal. Again, their thoughts influence their feelings.


      Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

      I don't know what makes people happy. But I know what makes them feel good about themselves...helping others without seeking reward.

      Just a thought.
      Love that. : ) This Christmas my little Brother Erny said something like: "It's more fulfilling to give than to receive."
      : )
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    • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
      Banned
      Thought I would add something from a wonderful little book my Brother (Dennis) gave me for Christmas.

      While it's not always easy to look on the bright side, it is beneficial for health and well-being. Researchers have found that Optimists tend to live longer and have lower rates of depression and stress.

      Cardiovascular health is improved and there is less risk of heart disease, and greater resistance to every day ailments such as the common cold.

      It's thought the reason for this is a positive outlook so when an optimist encounters a stressful situation, their upbeat attitude means they handle it better than someone with a negative countenance.

      * From "The Little Book Of Happiness." See Amazon.com
      Jonathan
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    • Profile picture of the author Eunice21
      It's just a matter of decision. We people always look for our happiness and no contentment at all.
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  • Profile picture of the author mrskl
    life is short and the world is wide, so be happy
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  • Profile picture of the author Kacelyn Galpo
    Yes, Happiness is a choice. Indeed. whenever we are feeling down, there is just one thing we must do, is to laugh at it. if we are happy, our life span increases. so, better be happy than to be sad. nothing we can get to that. right?
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    • Profile picture of the author Ivan2b
      Well, sometime happiness is not a choice. It is when you have a choice but some people do not have that luck to have a different choices. Your thinking is more idealistic but there are many people which are not happy out there for a good reason.
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      • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Ivan2b View Post

        Well, sometime happiness is not a choice. It is when you have a choice but some people do not have that luck to have a different choices. Your thinking is more idealistic but there are many people which are not happy out there for a good reason.
        Sure. I hear ya. Something from another one of my Posts/Articles ... Is that no matter what's happening in your Life ... Something you can always control is your Mindset. When you adopt a Positive/Empowering Mindset ,,, Happiness will always follow.

        P.S.
        No matter where a Person is in Life ... There are always many, many things to be grateful of.
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  • Profile picture of the author leadmachine2
    Once you get a positive view of life, you will not overwhelm the brain with negative thoughts. If you are grateful for what you have, it's much easier to really see your situation and set goals for later. You look at things like opportunities and challenges, not as problems.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
      Banned
      Originally Posted by leadmachine2 View Post

      Once you get a positive view of life, you will not overwhelm the brain with negative thoughts. If you are grateful for what you have, it's much easier to really see your situation and set goals for later. You look at things like opportunities and challenges, not as problems.
      Absolutely. Thanks leadmachine2.
      : )
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    • Profile picture of the author Odahh
      Originally Posted by leadmachine2 View Post

      Once you get a positive view of life, you will not overwhelm the brain with negative thoughts. If you are grateful for what you have, it's much easier to really see your situation and set goals for later. You look at things like opportunities and challenges, not as problems.
      well i think it's less a positive view of life.. i think it is more that you start to master life when you turn the bad stuff that happens on a semi regular basis..from bad stuff into fodder for a much better life .

      It is hard to explain but it is probably even much better when you start shift negative views of things that are happening to you in to positive life changes while they are still happening .. and to start learning as thing happen .

      this thing is terrible now but what positive things can this lead me to from here so i will look back and think this is the best thing that could have happened..

      Being homeless the last 5 month i have a bag full of golden nuggets and seeds for a better life ..

      most problemes come up over and over again but the next time you run into a problem you have had before and are going through again ..map out the actions you took to veer into the problem..as you get out of it this time ..then make the changes you need in order to not have the problem happen again .

      or when doing something new project out and lists or study and list the possible problems and prepare for them ahead of time..
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnVianny
    Happiness belongs to Bliss.

    Which is not a "state of mind or a sensation" it's a state of consciusness.

    The Life cannot be based on positive thinkin: it's an illusion. You can positive think that you are a King, but the reality is far away from being a king.

    Positive suggestions relegate the rational mind in a corner and make you dull.

    The only key factor is Meditation.

    With Transcendental Meditation you can dive in an ocean of bliss inside yourself. Your Self. It's full of bliss, no suggestions involved.

    Here you can drink the bliss and impregnate the mind with that Bliss, and come back to activity.

    It will be more stable than positive thinkin cause it's based on a state of consciousness, like dream or sleep or awaken state, from where the thoughts born, not caused by fancy illusionary thoughts.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Connann View Post

      Happiness belongs to Bliss.
      Like I said, there are several definitions of "Happiness." There's no "right" or "wrong" answer ... Just different perspectives.
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  • Profile picture of the author ezjob
    I agree that you can choose to be happy in your circumstance.

    Because, you can always find someone who is in worse shape than you are.
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  • Profile picture of the author hardraysnight
    i'm h-a-p-p-y
    i'm h-a-p-p-y
    i know i am
    i'm sure i am
    i'm h-a-p-p-y
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    • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
      Banned
      Originally Posted by hardraysnight View Post

      i'm h-a-p-p-y
      i'm h-a-p-p-y
      i know i am
      i'm sure i am
      i'm h-a-p-p-y
      "I'm Happy Just To Dance With Her."


      (Hehe)
      Jonthan
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Brindamour
    Jonathan,

    One great tip, before you go to bed each night write down 3 things that you are grateful for.

    Chris
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    • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
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      Originally Posted by Chris Brindamour View Post

      Jonathan,

      One great tip, before you go to bed each night write down 3 things that you are grateful for.

      Chris
      Love it. : ) Thanks Chris
      Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author jyzdesign1
    Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
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      Originally Posted by jyzdesign1 View Post

      Your success and happiness lies in you.
      Definitely. You understood it. : ) Not to keep going on however being grateful for everything you have is a important component to being happy.
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel1000
    It's a constant battle.

    There's always something to be mad about like the water isn't as cold as you'd like (first world problems)
    OR you don't have enough money to buy gas.

    There's always something the be grateful for.
    I'm a pragmatist. There's no magic bullet to make you happy for the rest of your days. There is a process to improve your quality of life. You've touched on an important principle here. Thanks.
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  • Profile picture of the author helisell
    OK.....I think I can help.

    Happiness = Success (what I mean is success makes people happy)

    The problem isn't in defining happiness, It is defining 'success'

    The biggest part of the problem is that we have some pretty weird ways of measuring success. For example, some people define success as how many possessions or how much money someone has. Clearly this cannot be true since success makes people happy right?......so how come I know people who have every possession a person could possibly want and all the money they'd ever need....but they are not happy?

    By the definition I gave, their 'success' should make them happy.

    So that means that happiness is not the result of convention's definition of success (which of course it isn't)

    That's why Claude has a problem defining 'happiness'

    So can you see that we are back to the problem of defining success.

    Actually it isn't a problem after all. All we need to do is examine some happy people and see what they are doing to make them so happy (i.e. what is the success they are enjoying)

    OK so....what is success?

    Success is 'the ongoing pursuit of a worthwhile goal'

    Some interesting things in that sentence.

    1. Who says the goal is worthwhile? The person pursuing it. Plus a dash of concensus (a drug dealer could pursue the goal of selling a million deals next year and it would not be seen by many as 'worthwhile')

    2. Merely pursuing the 'worthwhile goal' is in fact success (note: when you reach the goal.. success ends....and a new goal is pusued)

    Last note: Success comes from the pursuit of a worthwhile goal and is therefore attainable in an instant. Don't believe me? Look how happy Tom Hanks is when he finally makes fire in the movie 'Castaway'

    So a happy life is attainable by merely setting off in pursuit of a goal that you consider to be worthwhile. When that goal is reached...you'll need another.

    Look at retired people, some die soon after retirement having previously been perfectly healthy. Others live a long and happy life. Think back to your own life. When you were pursuing something worthwhile...you were happy. When you were down/depressed/low.......you were pursuing....well actually nothing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Odahh
    Helisell ,

    Your post is great, the reward structure of daily life and how it fits into long term goals .i vital to understand on a personal level..

    your own definition of worthwhile.. is probably seen as a waste of time or nutts to most other people . because It has to be something you feel is worth doing while you are doing it ... even if you are covered in crap and tired out ..if you know once the crap you shoveled over the yard and covered up ..composts into the soil .. you will have the best chance of growing some tasty veggies ..

    in the modern world or in the USA ..we are so consumed with convenience ..we sacrifice most of the rewards of the experience ..the achievement of doing ..

    so instead of drinking a a few cups of coffee at home while eating a hot breakfast made in maybe 15 minutes ..we spend an we spend 10 minutes waiting in the drive through and 5$-10$ getting an overpriced coffee with some exitic sounding name and a fat filled healthy bran muffin through the drive through a little window
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  • Profile picture of the author IPLease
    I agree happiness is a choice. Look at all these people that are whiners and complain day in and day out. They are clearly not happy yet are not doing anything about it either.
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  • Profile picture of the author Believe In You
    You are free! Just open the mind to the infinite possibilities that the universe has to offer.

    Once upon a time I programmed the mind and cherished every minute out of it.

    Then kaboom. Amazing changes out of a whim.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    I agree happiness is a choice. Look at all these people that are whiners and complain day in and day out. They are clearly not happy yet are not doing anything about it either.
    If your 'choice' is happiness - why worry about what other people do? You are complaining about complainers?

    so instead of drinking a a few cups of coffee at home while eating a hot breakfast made in maybe 15 minutes ..we spend an we spend 10 minutes waiting in the drive through and 5$-10$ getting an overpriced coffee with some exitic sounding name and a fat filled healthy bran muffin through the drive through a little window
    Same thing - drawing lines around what you think other people do. How does what other people choose for breakfast affect your happiness?

    I think chasing happiness is like chasing money or chasing success - it doesn't work. When you work at what interests you, live in a way that suits you...happiness has a way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Odahh
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      If your 'choice' is happiness - why worry about what other people do? You are complaining about complainers?



      Same thing - drawing lines around what you think other people do. How does what other people choose for breakfast affect your happiness?

      I think chasing happiness is like chasing money or chasing success - it doesn't work. When you work at what interests you, live in a way that suits you...happiness has a way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it.
      you are right happiness sneaks up on you .. but there are thing you can do to increase the chance of moments of happiness. or periods of being happy ..and there are things you can do or people in general do that add stress and make it harder to have those periods..

      and in our materialistic consumer culture .. run by the concept of perpetual dissatisfaction there are many things that are sold as conveniences .or stuff that will make you happy ..that will cause stress and problems over time . and to aid discussion i was just pointing out an example .
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  • Profile picture of the author Maninou
    Hi everyone
    For me hapiness is in my faith...thanks god iam happy...
    Do not think that i have everything or i do not have probkems ,i am human like many people around the world but the things that i believe on make me happy...and i don't expect much things from life or people ,because life is short and people are human ,and i am foccusing on my faith ,adoring god,doing things to satisfy "allah" and wondering for another life (after death) .i wish you all hapiness .
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  • Profile picture of the author ohio1975
    not everything is in our control. the challenge is to be at peace with things we cannot control (easier said than done), and have the strength and courage to really work on that we do have influence over.
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