I am going through another one of those self-help workshops and my next assigned exercise is to answer the question of what happiness means to me. It might seem simple at first glance, but let me tell you about myself: I can complicate anything…
My first inclination was to write the basic list I am sure many others have written. It goes something like this:
Family
House
Cars
Money
Special Interests ( those activities we consider interesting and\or enjoyable).
Guess what? I realized that none of those things could MAKE me happy. It isn’t family that makes one happy. It is the love of family that adds to your happiness. Love for a house, car, or the most common desire for money… Even those are about security.
Happiness is security.
Riding that Harley, skiing, skydiving, sailing, and other things that float your boat give rise to Joy. Pure joy is that feeling of freedom. Joy tells you that all is right in the world, at least at the present moment.
Some songs give me joy.
My children’s security and joy gives me joy.
That Harley thing…. sigh
The companionship of a dog gives me joy.
And security again. Security gives me joy.
Both bring on happiness.
But come on. It is NOT that easy.
And do we really have to smile to be a happy person? Nobody is happy all of the time. But we can still have security — the knowledge that everything will be okay.
I am rambling on. I am supposed to be writing an answer to what happiness means to me.
I guess I am not finished yet. No worries. If you think about it, there are worse things than spending time considering happiness. 😀
I would love to read your opinion on happiness! Feel free to comment.
