Friends’ responses to the Key to Happiness: Part 2

The key to happiness (part 1) is just phenomenal. As I indicated earlier, there are some awesome/lovely, some big responses to the question reserved for this part, adding the new ones as well. Now, continuing from where we left off…

Lori McNee | @lorimcneeartist | blog

Life is full of challenges that can upset our happiness. Over the years, I have had my share of sad times and disappointments. But, over the years I have cultivated three key ingredients that always help me return to a centered state of happiness.

* Happiness is an inside job. If you don’t have it on the inside, you won’t find it on the outside. I have learned not to chase after happiness.

* Living in the NOW. Living in the moment sounds simple, but it is easy to let our thoughts wander to past moments or our uncertain futures. This wise old saying says it best, “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.”

All we have is NOW – it is a gift.

* Gratitude is the best attitude. I love this quote by Tony Robbins, “When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears.”

I once had a friend who was so unhappy, and fearful, she contemplated taking her own life. At her lowest ebb, she couldn’t find one reason to live. It was early spring and the snow was melting, and right while looking down, she noticed a beautiful flower bursting through the snow. This woman felt gratitude for the flower. Then she looked up and was grateful for the trees and the sun, etc. In time, she filled her heart with gratitude, until she no longer wished to die. Gratitude for simple things saved her life.

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” – Thornton Wilder

Aline Hanle | @Catalyst303 | website

We are our own key to happiness. Happiness is the most aligned space between who we are and what we experience. The bridge in between both is our ability to be conscious of the moment. Happiness is a state of being that exists with or without one’s own awareness. When one wishes to be consciously experiencing it, then one must bring focus onto this space so that every other spaces collapse.

On a more practical level, here are a few ways that I have implemented to bring more happiness into my Life:

To be true to myself,
To feel gratitude for the good and the great
To feel humility for the challenges
To embrace everything and everyone for the blessings offered
To remind myself that a part of me as chosen to experience this sense of happiness and that nothing but a joyful dedication and a thriving excellence can make it happen.

Lalita | @rlalita | blog

What is it to be Happy, is something each of us wonder many times! Happiness depends upon us.

The more one continues to search for what happiness is & the more one looks for the meaning of life, one stop to live. Start living & stop fleeting and connecting to your inner self is happiness to me.

Happiness to me is:

1. Simple pleasures in life: walking bare feet on the beach, listening to the sound of waves, hiking, being up close with nature, spending time with people who care for you and been a friend through thick and thin, listening to music.

2. Fidelity to a worthy purpose, a purpose that connects to my maternal self.

3. Listening to one who wants to share and lighten their soul.

4. To bring a smile to a soul most in need.

5. An extension of warmth and joy from a stranger. I was walking by a mall the other day and suddenly I hear a child’s voice saying “bye bye”, I turned around and realized that this sweet little girl was telling me bye with the warmest sweetest smile. I was joyous and will cherish that moment forever.

6. Quality of my thoughts: Thoughts thoughts thoughts – yup they guard our happiness and one needs to make a conscious effort not to entertain any notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.

7. Joy from a deed well done, zest of creating something that will bring a smile to someone’s face.

8. The little, soon forgotten charities of a kiss or a smile, a kind look or heartfelt compliment.

9. To help someone in need. To be a Good Samaritan.

10. Depends on the value I choose to place upon anything & what I seek to bring to my inner self in achieving or obtaining it. However, if in the pursuit of this tangible or intangible, I see that it causes turmoil and loss of peace, I need to make a decision if I want to let it go and walk away to better things or goals in life.

Dr Sampurna Roy | @DrSampyRoy | website

For many years, dopamine was suggested to be the brain’s “pleasure chemical.” But the road to happiness was not that simple. Subsequent human experiments raised ethical questions and the research was eventually stopped.

According to Aristotle happiness consisted of two fundamental aspects – hedonia (pleasure) and eudaimonia (a life well-lived).

Hedonic happiness is similar to ‘liking’ without ‘wanting;’ as a state of pleasure without disruptive desires. It is just a state of contentment. Yet, happiness in daily life may rely on a proper balance of ‘wanting’ and ‘liking’ to help facilitate engagement with the world. If the balance tips the wrong way, happiness becomes impossible. As an example too much ‘wanting’ can readily lead to disruptive behavior such as addiction which may be a great cause of unhappiness.

The eudaimonic components of meaning and engagement are crucial to happiness for human beings. Eudaimonia is not an emotional state. It is more about being all that you can. The idea is that by living in a way that reaches your full potential you bloom or flourish and so display the best version of you that you can be.

In today’s modern social structure, individuals are sacrificing much in life to reach huge goals, whose attainment is uncertain and whose alternatives are few and unsatisfactory.

What one possesses in objective terms- money, personal image, social status, career, does not seem to be important to global quality of life and of little importance to self-assessed health. Several studies have indicated that what is really important is not what one has, but how he sees, evaluates and experiences what he has. The person’s level of consciousness and responsible attitude towards life and others seem far more important for the global quality of life and health.

Dr Sampurna wrote an entire article on this subject, HERE. I just quoted an excerpt from that. You’re suggested to read it in full.

Bill Strawderman | @marketingbard | blog

Happy, happy I remain
When gratitude is on my brain.
For in this life, the love you show
Will bring the joy you strive to know.

ilovethezodiak | @ilovethezodiak | website

Happiness is not bought, sold, or guaranteed. To have it, avoid doubt & envy and seek meaningful relationships being true to yourself.

Nicky | @rocksstar10 | blog

According to me, the key to happiness is doing what you love, coming home to a loving family after work, accepting your flaws and having confidence in yourself, and not stressing too much.

Michelle Mangen | @mmangen | blog

My personal keys to happiness are to always practice gratitude, no matter how “small” something may mean. Often this means I remind myself, “I have enough”. Another thing I’ve recently found helpful is not to compare myself to others, which can be hard in the social media space where it often feels as though it’s a “popularity contest”. Being me is more important than trying to be someone else.

Jackie Bigford | @JackiesBuzz | blog

I am most happy when I am surrounded by laughter, when I share a smile with a complete stranger and they have that quizzagle look on their face and then they return the smile, when I do something unexpected for someone without any thought of what’s in it for me, sharing a glass of wine with my hubby sitting on our dock as the sun sets and the sound of the loons fills the air, when one of my cats hugs me and nuzzles my neck!

Ash Mashhadi | @inspirationguy | website

Happiness is a choice, just as unhappiness is. Each has it’s appropriate place. It is perfectly normal to feel unhappy at the demise of a loved one, of course. But life is about making appropriate choices and I choose to be happy most of the time because it not only feels great, but means that I can be more effective at reaching my goals, at helping others reach theirs and it helps me focus on what is real in my life.

It’s tempting to forget that all our actions are observed by those around us and we are a source of everyday inspiration to them – either in a negative or a positive way. Bertrand Russell once said that happiness was doing what you’re good at. I choose to be good at being happy.

*Title photo credit: YouWall | End image credit: wallbase

Finally… in my point of view:

A R Karthick

I have a few things to say about the Key to the Happiness as well!

* Seeing smile on others’ faces and knowing you put it their, is a priceless feeling. Unselfish compassion and a sense of humor in any circumstances is my key to happiness.

* What makes me happy may not make you happy. But whatever makes you happy (because of me) makes me happy. Getting along with people is the key folks!

* There is this ultimate key to your happiness. But it belongs to a combination lock which is hidden in your mind. You only know the code. Go unlock it!

Once again, I convey my heartfelt gratitude to my awesome friends who responded and supported both directly and indirectly.

Now over to you:

What is the Key to Happiness?

What are your favorite responses in this list as well as in the previous (part 1) one?

Let’s discuss about it all in the comments below.

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