What will make you happy?

Question

My friend whose husband is in Iraq is overwhelmed and battling depression. We were talking and she asked me “How can I be happy?”
Wow.
I thought about it and said maybe if we identify your happiness we can work backwards to attain it, Hmmmm.
So it got me thinking about happiness. Definitions of happiness. The vague concept of being happy. What makes us happy? Maybe by identifying our happiness we can attain it, and spread our joy or maybe once we identify our desires we realize it’s been under our nose this whole time.
So what would make you happy?
For Christians would it be a global enlightenment of God and Christianity?
For Non-Christians would it be for understanding and tolerance?
For all of us would it be a bit of both?
Is it less abstract and more discernable?
A new house, car, etc.?
For me?
I am based in love I am afraid. It would be being with someone I loved (I am so sappy!) But you?
Write what you want, whisper in my ear if it’s not what you wrote, but think about it and be happy. Identify it.

What makes you happy?

Answer 1

Making others happy. the more I can do for others and make thier lives better, the more happy I am.

Answer 2

Happiness is confusing because it very rarely comes unaccompanied. I have had deep expereinces in meditation of pure, abstract happiness, without anything else in the experience. That expereince, and some that have followed, made me realize that happiness was an aspect of my internal being, and the objects I had been associating with it just helped me gain access to that space. It has since been easier for me to be happy without needing something to attach it to. Deeper elements more strongly a part of my ego are harder to be happy without. Love is definitely one (platonic or romantic), as well as a sense of accomplishment, etc. I'm not sure one can ever totally seperate from such things, and I really don't want to.

Answer 3

what an intelligent question. You hit the nail on the head...The reason for ALL the confusion,predjudice, discrimination and the curse of war, is because people are unhappy. True happiness is not predicated on transient things like.. a nice mate, or a big house or fancy car,or a big bank account. Those things can diasappear in a instant...then where are you? Happiness is a "STATE OF LIFE" where you recognize that things change from moment to moment (which is the only thing we can be sure of in this life) but because you are a precious,mighty, intelligent human you can deal with any situation. The recognition that others have this potential too is a point of happiness. The realization that "low self esteem is what the whole world suffers from..fignting over territory,resources,posession of anything that was here when we came to this planet and will remain when we leave...is an infantile,dark hearted,greedy,self-centered way to live. What is the point of your life if you are going to liveit out in strife,competition,and confusion..We are here on this planet to be happy. We must change our PERCEPTION of what being HUMAN means. You and only you are responsible for your happiness ! No one can be happy for you. You decide! It has nothing to do with being perfect., but the wonderful struggle to be the best friend,the best sibling,the best citizen,the best son or daughter, the best parent,the best co-worker, the best boss etc. all of these attributes are the things that intelligent humans treasure most. It would make me happy if people would realize how wonderful they are and how wonderful others are too that everyone is worth of respect...because human life is worthy of respect..We are the highest form of life on this planet and look how we shame ourselves...we are ONE human family...the animals respect each other more than we do. They never organize and plan to kill for sport and rarely devour their own...They have no power of speech nor reason (as we have) and they are not at war...If we are not here to be happy and live fufilling lives based on our own efforts..then what? Why not slit our own throats and be done with it? Please EVERYONE WHO READS THIS ..ASK YOURSELF .WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF MY LIFE? Plese look inside,treasure your life, love yourself,your uniqueness,work on developing yourself so you will be able to respect yourself...then and only then can you become happy...it has nothing to do with others. I want everyone without exception to have high self esteem.....This would make me HAPPY.

Answer 4

Picture yourself near a stream.
Birds are softly chirping in the crisp cool mountain air.

Nothing can bother you here.

No one knows this secret place.

You are in total seclusion from that place called "the world."

The soothing sound of a gentle waterfall fills the air with a cascade of serenity.

The water is clear and you can easily make out the face of the person whose head you're holding under the water.

Look. It's the person who caused you all this stress.

What a pleasant surprise.

You let them up... just for a quick breath... then plop!... back under they go...

You allow yourself as many deep breaths as you want.

There now... feeling better?

Answer 5

What makes me happy?

A greeting from my dog when I get home - she is always happy to see me.
Hitting a really good wedge on the golf course - it is a rare and wonderfully sublime occurrence.
A cold beer with good people and lively conversation.
A really good book.
Having written something well. The process of writing can be tiresome and time consuming, and one never knows how it is going in progress - after it is written, and written well, it can be such a source of joy.

Answer 6

Hmmm succinctly put ...

1 The LOVE of my life - DAD
2 My life loves: Richie, Marcus, Abe, Jordan and Shiloh
3 My twin Tony, my muse Liev, my Fobs, my friend Kings...
4 The Call ...
5 The Response

Probably somewhat cryptic ...but those make me happy ...

Answer 7

Loving makes me happy and I am overflowing with it. It amazes me how much I love and how many people I love. I used to think that love would run out. That you could only have so much of it and that the more people you loved, the less you would have till it was gone. Such a baby! LOL! Now I know that love grows and grows and it's exciting to see how many people I can love. I am the family lovebug. Loving makes me happy.

Answer 8

I wrote a saying a few years back and it goes: We have no control over the earth and chaos that rules within it, but we do have control over what rules within our four walls....

To me happiness starts with peace in my home....I have a husband (my soul-mate), and our four children...I am happy when there is peace among all of us...We have true love in our home and that makes me very very happy.....Everything else is just icing on the cake.

PS--by the way, my husband and I are nurses too :)

Answer 9

what makes me happy?
my life, what i have made of it, things haven't always gone well with my life. but i have done the best i can, with coping and having that great outlook on life helps one attain happiness. i firmly believe that happiness is what you make it. even if you had all the money in the world or a ton of loving people around you, you could still be miserable.
happiness comes from within.

Answer 10

Just knowing that I am alive, that others like you are alive, and that we are alive for the same purpose.
I think you will know what that purpose is by reading some of my other answers to questions like this.
However, we must know WHY we can be happy before we can actually BE happy, proven by the confusion and unhappiness of your friend.
I do hope she finds the source of all happiness though.

Answer 11

What makes me happy?

A long, exhausting hike with someone who I can be myself with and I am completely at ease around. It's easy to identify these people in your life, IMHO. They are the people who you can imaging being on a mountaintop, staring out in awe about what is below you without saying a word to each other.

Sometimes sharing silence is harder than sharing secrets.