Happiness: Make the best of everything
Happiness is a magic word and a magic state of mind. Everyone wants to be happy: young and old, rich and poor, successful or unsuccessful.
Show me a person who does not want to be happy!
The million dollar question is this: Who are the happiest people in the world? Is there a prescription for happiness?
Let me try to answer this question from my point of view.
My approach to the subject of happiness is holistic—from the Greek word meaning “whole”. The holistic approach takes all aspects of a person’s life into account: psychological, physical, emotional, spiritual, environmental, and social. My concept of life includes physical and emotional life taken together.
Happiness is not just a mental attitude; it is our emotional response to how we see life. It is about interaction among the mind, the body, and the immune system. Happy people are generally healthy people for this reason.
When all is well we are not aware of our happiness. Only when unhappiness comes do we know how life can be unpredictable and tough.
Being happy is a complex matter that is not easy to explain. While every person has some influence over his or her level of happiness, sustaining happiness is hard work and makes life challenging.
So, who is “prone” to happiness? People with a positive outlook, healthy self-concept, and (most importantly) with a meaning and purpose are most likely be happy. Having meaning is different for each individual, but is a precondition for happiness and comes from having a sense of purpose. We need not just to find meaning in life, but also to experience positive emotions. We have the power to choose our purpose according to our values and passion.
For me, definitely there are no five or ten steps to becoming a happier person. It is an illusion!
Happiness includes everything: physical and mental health, relationships, optimism, attitude, gratitude, comfort zone, emotional intelligence, thoughts…and a system of beliefs, self-esteem, and self-confidence. And this is still not a full list of preconditions for happiness!
Our culture emphasizes happiness, and teaching us how to be happy…sometimes in the wrong way!
The focus of the modern world has switched from spirituality to material accumulation. Today, the equation is material wealth = happiness.
Do you believe that’s correct?
Actually, the only thing that matters is how much we appreciate what we already have.
For example, I understand that people with no money could feel unhappy, but by the same token people who have nothing but money could feel the same way.
Yet, we are bombarded by the slogan: Be happy! This is not a realistic approach to happiness; it’s not logical to think you will be happy all the time. While it’s healthy to feel happy, searching for happiness is another story. If you continually expect more happiness, and are never satisfied with your personal level of happiness, you can end up unhappy.
The main problem with happiness is the false belief that happiness depends on the outside world. The opposite is true: happiness flows from within.
If you feel unhappy, there is a solution for this feeling: make other people happy! Contributing to other’s people happiness is one reason why people who help others are happy. By helping other, you can help yourself.
It’s not just enough to eliminate unhappiness, but also important to seek life with fulfilment and joy.
So, are you happy? If you know how to be happy with the things that you already have, and if you know how to make the best of what you have, you are a happy person.
