What is Happiness?

Happiness means different things to different people. I am greatly encouraged when I see people who despite their struggles, they choose to remain calm and not allow bitterness to rob them of their joy. I think this is a way of being happy.

Two things are true in life 1) There are things that we have control over and 2) There are things that we have no control over. I strongly believe that choosing to focus on what we can control is key in being happy. 

To me, happiness doesn't come from the outside, it comes from within. Having great possessions is not a guarantee to be happy. There is nothing wrong with having great possessions if a person is well within himself and does not entirely depend on his possessions to provide him happiness.

The reality about happiness is that we cannot make someone or something responsible for it in our lives. We are responsible for our happiness, no one else. It is essential that we understand this truth for our own benefit. #BestAdvice 

I believe that happiness is a lifestyle, something that we choose to embrace regardless of our circumstances. Smiling and laughing are a fraction of happiness. If happiness were solely based on money, status, position, and good moments, I think happiness would be temporary and we would permanently have a void in our hearts. Lasting happiness springs from our hearts. 

Life is more than what we define as happiness. Being kind, being loving, and being compassionate to others, and to ourselves too, creates happiness. 

I love the Serenity prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr. Certainly, serenity, courage, and wisdom can make our lives more fulfilling with God's help.  

This is a collection of 25 quotes about happiness. I invite you to reflect on these quotes and define what happiness is to you.

1. "It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness."
Charles Spurgeon

2. "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."
Dalai Lama

3."Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." Abraham Lincoln

4."Happiness... consists in giving, and in serving others." Henry Drummond

5."True happiness is... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future." Lucius Annaeus Seneca

6. "Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content." Helen Keller

7. "Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits." Thomas Jefferson

8. "Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness." Zhuangzi

9 "Happiness doesn't depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude." Dale Carnegie

10. "Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more." H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

11. "Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life - a kind of destiny. Whoever is in distress can call on me. I will come running wherever they are." Princess Diana

12 "There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will." Epictetus

13 "You must try to generate happiness within yourself. If you aren't happy in one place, chances are you won't be happy anyplace." Ernie Banks

14 "It is neither wealth nor splendor; but tranquility and occupation which give you happiness." Thomas Jefferson

15. "Happiness is an inside job." William Arthur Ward

16. "Happiness is inward, and not outward; and so, it does not depend on what we have, but on what we are. Henry Van Dyke

17. "What we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life." Leo Buscaglia

18. "If your happiness depends on what somebody else does, I guess you do have a problem." Richard Bach

19 "Happiness is found in doing, not merely possessing." Napoleon Hill 

20 "Happy he who learns to bear what he cannot change." Friedrich Schiller

21. "Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." Joseph Addison

22. "Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives." C. S. Lewis

23. "Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul." Democritus

24 "Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present." Jim Rohn

25. "I don't have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness - it's right in front of me if I'm paying attention and practicing gratitude." Brene Brown

This video is so worth watching. It has been viewed by almost 10 million people. 

 What is happiness to you?. Please share in the comments section below. Thanks!

Other posts by Ivette K. Caballero:

Is Failure an Option?
Making a World of Difference One Action at a Time 
The Best Way to Lead
Make You and Your Relationships Thrive

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