What Does Happiness Mean to You? Share Your Joys and Challenges Here

Everybody experiences ups and downs in life—good and bad things, right and wrong, morals and values. I want to know from everyone what exactly happiness is all about according to you. Please reply to this with good fun. You'll definitely enjoy it. Share your good and bad experiences, and also how you perceive your happiness. Are there any special factors or reasons? Hope you all enjoy sharing this.

Regards,
Kalpana

You have posted a very intriguing message. As rightly pointed out by you, happiness and sorrow are like the two sides of a coin. We cannot afford to be selective always on happiness. It would be an unrealistic wish. Mr. Jacob has responded, giving his elaborate thoughts on happiness. During the internal training programs, I used to ask the participants who amongst them all want to be always happy. Without a doubt, everyone would raise their hand. The next question—a slightly modified one—would be who all can say that they are always happy. Seldom would someone give an affirmative vote.

Dimensions of Happiness

There are different dimensions to happiness—jumping with joy, a pantomime, emotionless, contentment, and what not. I have shared my views and the thoughts that have impressed me in the attachment. Some have already appeared in Cite HR in one context or another. Hope this contribution is useful to the thread started by you.

Regards,
V. Raghunathan

Understanding Happiness Through Life's Stages

Happiness depends on how you are able to steer your life, adjusting to the ups and downs. As a grown-up person in your teenage years, your responsibility is restricted to yourself: enjoying the company of friends, watching movies, sharing jokes, going for outings, etc. When you start your employment, your sphere widens, and you feel happy when you do your work, receive your salary, increments, etc.

After you get married, your responsibilities broaden to taking care of your family: husband/wife, children, aged parents. This is where your happiness may start to diminish as more responsibilities pile up. You will need to adjust your life to find a balance to make yourself comfortable. From now on, it is in your hands to create your own happiness. It is certain that it's not easy, but it's up to you to address the issues, solve them, and find happiness.

Therefore, happiness in most periods of your life comes from adjusting yourself and living in this world.

Steps to Achieve Happiness

To make yourself happy by adjusting to your needs and family, you must be able to:

1. Maintain a balance in your income and expenses, and also save.
2. Avoid exceeding your limits in any aspect that could lead you into problems.
3. Find happiness with what you have and strive to enhance your life.
4. Instill in your partner and children the importance of enjoying life with what you already possess.
5. Refrain from thinking negatively about others and trying to harm them.
6. Cultivate happiness by showing love and affection to your partner, children, and by respecting your parents.
7. Be honest and sincere in your work, which will undoubtedly keep you happy despite any shortcomings.
8. Avoid aiming for things that are unattainable in life.
9. Plan your future meticulously. A budget is not just for the country but also for a family.
10. Share your thoughts with your partner, which will make you feel comfortable and happy.

Thank you.

Thank you both for the warm and practical reply. It's always truly said to try to be happy with whatever you have in life. Respect to all, no regrets, and no bad thoughts. I know it's difficult in practice, but nothing is impossible to achieve and follow. Keep going with your cheerful spirit, full hard work, dedication, and fun.

Regards,
Kalpana Raghavaprasad

Namaste. Happiness is "I"ness. Happiness is when one is oneself (one with the event or happening). But seldom does a person feel that he is truly himself because he often places himself in a position of judgment.

Thanks and regards,
Sarma Duvvuri

Happiness: A Personal Journey

This discussion on happiness will surely become a long thread because I feel everyone wants to share their thoughts on it. Happiness, to me, is self-made; one can be happy with what one's got, and on the contrary, some can never be happy even if the world is at their feet. Happiness is the one thing one can't buy; it is to be felt within. Being happy defines the mentality of the person.

When I was studying and working throughout my spinster life, I thought, "Yes, this is happiness, this is life." After I got married with the right companionship, I felt, "Yes, this is happiness, and this is called a lovely life." And now, being a mother of a 2-year-old lovely kid, at this phase of time, I feel this is life with my happiness fulfilled, being blessed with the baby's touch, voice, naughtiness, and happiness filled by him. For me, motherhood is eternal happiness.

Regards,
Swapna

Thank you, Sarma and Swapna. I completely agree with both of you. Swapna truly said happiness is within ourselves. We should enjoy each and every phase of life with a minimum amount of expectations. Thanks to both of you again for sharing this and giving a warm reply.

Regards,
Kalpana

Hello Sarma Duvvuri,

You have provided a thoughtful explanation on happiness. "HAPP I NESS" sounds good. You are correct about human beings assuming the role of a judge. As rightly observed by you, "sits" also has an "i" in it! Hence, there is an obstacle to happiness. One must overcome it to find true happiness.

V. Raghunathan

Dear Raghunathan, Namaste. Thanks for your observation on the word 'sits' used by me and for your considered agreement with my statement. In my opinion, Newton's first law of motion amply defines happiness.

To quote: "Every body continues to be in a state of rest or continuous motion unless it is acted upon by an external force to change that state or uniform motion." This external force is nothing but the judging position of the individual, as a result of which the position of rest or continuous motion (Happiness) is disturbed.

Maslow put this law in another fashion: "Every human prefers to idle if he is not acted upon by a need." This perpetual idleness is happiness, but it is very difficult to achieve unless one is one's self.

The above are an extract from the book I am penning on "Aspiration Management."

Thanks & regards,
Sarma Duvvuri

Some very interesting thoughts have been shared on happiness. Swapana has put happiness in perspective when she shares how the framework of happiness keeps changing depending on the changes one goes through in life. The bottom line is 'Happiness is an inside thing'.

Thanks to your interaction, Happiness has taken an excursion to classical theories in Physics and Human Behaviour.

It makes pleasant reading to note that you are keying in texts for a new book. I take this opportunity to wish you all the best in your venture.

Thank you for introducing Newton’s First Law and Maslow’s theory into this thread. While the first law states the state of Happiness when undisturbed, Newton’s Second Law comes into play when someone chooses to disturb the calm state. Depending on the force of disturbance, someone reconciles to normalcy quickly or recoils with an equal force, making it an example of Newton’s Third Law. So, all three theories are covered in our life when we see behaviour aspects also as a corollary borrowed from physics.

Maslow’s findings are almost a century old now and still very relevant to us. Considering the modern-day craving for things and the ever-increasing wants, Maslow would have ushered in WANTS along with NEEDS in his TRIANGLE model. While a sensible individual gets satisfied with the fulfilment of NEEDS, those who go after the infinite WANTS never enter the realm of Happiness.

Regards,
V.Raghunathan