"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is one of the most famous phrases in the United States Declaration of Independence. These three aspects are listed among the "unalienable rights" of man.
Today I received a magazine whose theme for the month was “Happiness – a pretty bubble or a way of life?”
That got me thinking. Did I want to tackle a subject that is so vast, so complex (yet so simple), so philosophical (yet so relevant)? And I said, “Yes, why not?”
Taken at Keukenhof, The Netherlands, May 2008
What is it?
Happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. – Wikipedia
Happiness means different things to different people. In our stressful, chaotic and rushed everyday life, we tend to overlook the things that truly make us happy and instead concentrate on what we don’t have, what others have and what makes others happy!
Where do you find it?
I truly believe that you can find happiness only within yourself. You have to find your inner peace and joy and that will in turn translate to the exterior. In order to do that, you have to learn to “accept”, “forget and forgive” and “be content”. Wise words (I know) but truly with small steps, one can incorporate these into one’s life and only then will you be the source of happiness and joy to others around you. And furthermore, it is in giving and sharing that you truly realize happiness. Test it out – Do a good deed for someone, check the smile on their face, now observe your own reaction………………
We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it. – George Bernard Shaw
What makes you happy?
Happiness isn’t something you experience; it’s something you remember. – Oscar Levant (Author)
"Happiness seems less a matter of getting what you want than of how you feel about what you have." - David G. Myers PhD, Professor of Psychology at Hope College in Holland Michigan
Some of the things that make me happy….
- Being alive.
- Spending time with my family.
- Planning another trip.
- Playing with children (they are so innocent).
- Baking.
- My Thursday Club.
- Eating good food.
- Giving stuff away.
- Seeing a beautiful place.
- Flowers.
- And the many things that make life worth living.
The Planten und Bloomen, Hamburg, May 2006
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