What is Happiness?

“People are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Abraham Lincoln

What is happiness? 

Happiness is setting a goal and working toward that goal and reaching that goal. Once the goal is reached, you have a momentary win, and that is huge happiness, however, if you don’t set another goal, then you have nothing to keep you in that state of happiness for very long. 

Your goals can be many small ones, or one large one, but once reached, then your happy state will not continue. Mankind does not live on only one accomplishment in life. Set goals; work toward goals; reach goals. Life is good! 

Another part of being truly happy is Ethics. 

Are Your Ethics In? 

When you live by rules that can influence others, and those rules are of high quality, then that is the first step toward your own happiness. 

One main and universal rule is "Do unto others, as you would like them to do unto you." It was mentioned earlier in this book, on the subject of friendship. 

Now it is back again. Only, this time it is being used for the values of life. 

It's a great guideline for what you would want toward your own happiness. If you don't want to be stolen from, you don't steal. If you don't want to be lied to, then don't lie. 

It's a simple system, really. 

Take for example, a parent who tells their 12-year-old child, "Now, remember to tell them that you are 11, so we don't have to pay full price for you to”..…go to the movies, have dinner priced by age, or get on a bus. 

What does this teach the child? Does it teach him/her honesty? 

It is little things like that where we step outside our own values, without really realizing what kind of damage it can be doing, and worse, what kind of message we are telling our children. 

It's okay to lie when it saves us money? It's okay to lie to get us out of trouble? 

So, we have to watch what we do and say to put a great example to others. In this way, your own happiness can be fulfilled, while you are in essence teaching by the way you live, how others can be happy, too. 

It is well known that the happiest people are those that have: 

A belief system 

A family Are married 

Have a fulfilling job 

Sleep at night and get up with enough sleep 

Have a routine 

Get exercise and eat healthy.         

You may not have all of the above, and it does not mean you can’t have happiness, just because you don’t. Those are standard “norms.”

There are all kinds of ways to have happiness: 

Helping people brings happiness, - for those you help and for yourself. How do you feel after helping someone? 

Take for example, when someone stops and asks you for directions and you tell them how to get there. Don't you feel good after that exchange? 

When you live up to your own ethics, values, Standard of Excellence, and do the best you can, and you show by example who and what you stand for, your road to happiness will not depend on what fork in the road to choose in life, for you have taken the fork that will work for anyone who cares to set their own standards, then proceeds to live by them. 

Gratitude

One thing many people forget is to be grateful for what they have. 

No matter what mental state you are on, you have things to be grateful for. I already know one thing that you can be grateful for. 

You can read. Be grateful that you can read and have the right to read. If someone is reading this book for you, then be grateful that you have someone who will read for you. 

Sometimes, we keep pushing and wishing for things and we totally forget to be grateful for what we have. 

Start a list of what you are grateful for, and add to it, whenever you get a chance, when you find yourself falling toward depression or any kind of negativity, read your list, and see if you can add more to it. 

   Put that list on your refrigerator, or bedroom mirror, so that you can constantly be reminded of the things in your life that you are grateful for.

When you are grateful for things, it keeps your mind on having a positive attitude about life.