How happy do you want to be?

THIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSS MUUUUUUCCCCHHHHH!!! Seriously though, i’m very contented with my lot as it is right now can’t complain,so won’t.

I think that happiness is a matter of perception and expectation and mindset. This article goes into it.

I am quite happy right now with a few bumps in the road, which is how life is. I have been through hard times, particularly two years ago and other periods in my life. I welcome how life is today.

i have no goal to be happy, sounds absurd to me to aim to be happier. to me its just a mood. definitely subjective too.

I agree totally with Abraham Lincoln.
I made my mind up I would be happy… and I am.
This wasn’t the case a few years ago, but I made my mind up that being sad didn’t help me, and certainly didn’t help those around me.
So life is good, and I smile more, and so do my family and friends when they are around me.

There are a number of things that I still want in life, but they have little to do with happiness – I have all that I need for that. I look for answers, (sometimes new questions) satisfaction, pleasure, contentment and discovery – rewarding, but not “happy-making” in any real sense as taking any one of them away would not make me unhappy. More “happy-enforcing” or enabling appreciation of existing happiness.

Abe got it right…one minute I can be as happy as a clam or the next minute bitching about the bed sheets being untucked. :O

I think there is a good chance I am one of the happiest people in the world.

Sounds crazy, probably is.

I noticed a tag line on a post a few weeks ago. Sort of fits the thread.

”My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I’m happy.
I can’t figure it out. What am I doing right?”

I want to be just as happy tomorrow as I am today. : ))

BTW… ole Abe was right: happiness is a decision.

I would like less stress. I need more moments of “nothing pressing to do.” I am in an emotionally neutral state most of the time, neither happy nor unhappy. Small moments of happiness come in the form of spending time with my children, hearing my younger daughter sing, anticipation of a trip with my older daughter.

Happiness for me would be fully accepting myself in every moment…feeling connected to myself and not baseball bat bashing my head all the time. I catch a glimpse of this every now and again and it feels lovely…a wonderful experience…and no money or achievement can buy it. I’m getting there….very slowly

Happiness is not purpose. It is a part of being healthy; but like a six-pack, it wont justify your existence alone. There are many people who are for many reasons happy; but no matter how happy they may be, if they live without respect of true purpose, they betray Humanity. They betray everything and everyone they love.

not that one shouldn’t attempt to be happy whenever reasonably possible, just not at the price of their soul

Slap happy.

@lynneblundell Such a lovely answer :-)

Happy here!! I got beer :-/

People go through ups and downs.I’d settle for joyous.

I tend ro think of happiness as a lull between problems.

@lynneblundell that is how i see myself. thank you for that lovely answer :)

I could be happier. I think i could be alot happier. But somehow its just beyond my reach.

@partyparty and @TheOnlyException thank you xxx

I don’t even aim for happiness, just trying to make it through this day and do the things I’ve allocated for myself to do. Just moving from goal to goal, checking off the items on my lists. If I started fretting over things like happiness, I’d get so discouraged that I’d not get anything done.

I’m sure it could be better, but I won’t bitch. Good enough.

I want to be very happy, I want to look on the bright side no more what. :)

today, is the best day of my life!

Happiness is a state of mind!

So, be happy!

Happy enough so I am a burden to no one, and my company is enjoyable.

After way too much of the opposite, I made a pledge to myself to be happy every single day for rest of my life.

I think we all perceive happiness differently. I do however agree that we are only as miserable as we desire to be. There are people who have tragedy after tragedy happen in their lives and still they remain happy. I think really happy people have two things always going for them.
1. They are always happy with today because they realize all of their blessings. (Satisfied)
2. And they realize that tomorrow has the possibility of being better. (Hope)

GA @Pandora , My position is happiness is a state of mind, but my life sorta started to take a downturn around 7 years ago. Everything sort of just fell apart, friends went separate ways, siblings left, it may seem ridiculous to you all but it seemed my golden years all happened throughout elementary school, (minus the 5th grade) I was had the best moments and life was aligned just perfect. @lynneblundell at least your getting there, that’s great for you :)

@WolfFang Sweety, you have plenty of great years ahead. Life is like an iceberg. You are merely looking at the tip of the ice berg. The really cool and large part is at the bottom but you got to swim there its not going to flip over for you.

Gratitude and doing good for others are my two secrets for happiness. I can find “miracles” every day, if I look for them. How can I be less than happy if I notice what good things happen in my life?

It’s not always perfect, but concentrating on the good parts keeps my perspective in the “happy” range.

And when I find ways to do good for others, my satisfaction grows exponentially. I can’t complain, and I won’t.

I’m happier than I were 10 years ago, but I’m more depressed, and so much more ready to die.

Content, is more like it. It’s like happy, but with a calmness thrown in there. I would like to get my perfect house, car, and boat on the Oregon Coast.

Im not sure how to quantify how happy I want to be. I just want to be happy…. & Im finnaly doing somethng about it, which is great, & a little bit scary!

@JeffVader Care to elaborate?

@JeffVader Good for you, I’m pleased.

@py_sue Just, for the first time, taking control of my life & destiny….. in every sphere of my life. Career, love being the main ones!

@Dibley Thanks….. only took 33yrs :)

Huzzah! Good on ya!

@JeffVader Got another 2 years to go then!

@Dibley Thats not too bad….. when I look to how I was 2yrs ago I’d never have thought I’d be here right now!

i want to be alot happier then i am right now

@pinkgirl02 Eat some chocolate, (or your favorite food) and watch a comedy. Or you can watch a really sad movie, have a good cry and be glad you don’t have a life like the person in the sad movie. Whatever works.
Or even take a nap. People always feel much happier after a nap. At least I do.

I want authentic happiness.

Trying to fix weaknesses won’t help, Martin Seligman claims for example, rather, incorporating strengths such as humor, originality and generosity into everyday interactions with people is a better way to achieve happiness. Skeptics will wonder whether it’s possible to learn happiness from a book. Yet I think it’s possible but it requires time.

http://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Happiness-Psychology-Potential-Fulfillment/dp/0743222989/

I want to be realistically happy. I don’t want to be a deluded nincompoop walking around with an balloon while my reality is gloomy. Pigs are happy in shit I’m not and I reserve the right to be unhappy when things get shitty.

”“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

Disagree, most people are about as happy as reality lets them be.

@DarkScribe- your tag line is a quote from the late, great Charles Schulz, of Peanuts fame

@Silhouette “Reality” is greatly overrated.

@YARNLADY I prefer it. I like real, even if it’s a real bummer.

That kind of happy that you feel when you’re just falling over into the edge of the love canyon…

I want to be the kind of happy that puts a smile on my face.

But not the kind of smile that makes your upper lip get stuck up on your teeth!