Happiness is something everyone wants to have. You may be successful and have a lot of money, but without happiness it will be meaningless.
That’s why I’m excited with this month’s theme of Happiness. We will discuss this topic all month long and I’m sure we will learn a lot. But, before we move further, it’s a good idea to get deeper understanding of the word happiness itself. Understanding what happiness is will give us good ground upon which to build our discussions.
Let me start with an official definition. According to Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, here is the definition of happiness:
- a state of well-being and contentment
- a pleasurable or satisfying experience
This definition is a good starting point and we can dig deeper from it. The best way to do that is to consult some of the greatest minds in history. So I researched what these people say about happiness and found 10 essential definitions. Each of them has deep meaning. Take your time to absorb it.
Here they are:
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
Mahatma Gandhi
Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one’s values.
Ayn Rand
Happiness is something that you are and it comes from the way you think.
Wayne Dyer
Happiness is essentially a state of going somewhere, wholeheartedly, one-directionally, without regret or reservation.
William H. Sheldon
Happiness is not a reward – it is a consequence.
Robert Ingersoll
Happiness is different from pleasure. Happiness has something to do with struggling and enduring and accomplishing.
George Sheehan
Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.
Aristotle
Happiness is not something you experience, it’s something you remember.
Oscar Levant
Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling.
Margaret Lee Runbeck
Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.
Denis Waitley
All in all, I would say that happiness is a decision. Your happiness is your decision to make. All the quotes above require actions on our part and actions require decisions.
So what do you think?
What is happiness?
This article is part of July 2008 theme: Happiness
Comment by ASU
#1 3. July 2008, 11:24 am o'clock |
Happiness is life’s love.
Comment by Stuart Herbert
#2 3. July 2008, 11:53 am o'clock |
Donald, I have to agree – happiness is a decision. Ultimately, I think it comes down to deciding whether or not you can accept your circumstances. Have you noticed how unhappy people always seem to be those people who are unwilling or unable to do accept what is happening right here and now?
Comment by Anthony Mills
#3 3. July 2008, 3:30 pm o'clock |
– the hunter-killer droid HK-47, Knights of the Old Republic II
Comment by Luciano Passuello
#4 3. July 2008, 8:00 pm o'clock |
Hi Donald,
It may not be the most inspiring or romantic of definitions, but one that really stick with me is that happiness is the feeling of being in control.
Not a commonsense definition, I know, but since I first read it the (wonderful) book Stumbling on Happiness, the more I think about it, the more I see it’s true.
Comment by Donald Latumahina
#5 4. July 2008, 12:40 pm o'clock |
ASU, Stuart, Anthony, and Luciano,
Thanks for your contributions!
Stuart,
Yes, I can see that in my life. For instance, being content is an important part of my happiness and being content is a form of accepting my circumstances.
Luciano,
That’s an interesting definition. As you said, it’s not commonsense. I’d like to dig it deeper so perhaps I should read the book.
Comment by Jade
#6 5. July 2008, 9:41 pm o'clock |
Happiness doesn’t come from grand things, but from the daily life. Happiness is the ultimate goal of life.
Comment by Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D.
#7 6. July 2008, 10:14 pm o'clock |
Happiness is knowing you have choices and making the best ones for yourself.
Comment by Donald Latumahina
#8 7. July 2008, 2:08 am o'clock |
Jade,
I agree, happiness comes from the daily life, not from the grand things.
Flora,
Interesting definition. Looks like it’s related to Luciano’s “the feeling of being in control”.
Comment by Info-web
#9 7. July 2008, 4:55 am o'clock |
Well written thoughts on happiness, 10 definition of happiness are also good choice.
I think happiness is a secret motive of every human being, a motive which is subconscious, we aren’t ourselves aware of its existence. What ever we do, we want to do it right, be successful in it because it gives happiness to us.
We go to school, find a job, love and get married for fun and satisfaction which to give a sense of achievement and a reason to be happy.
Comment by Donald Latumahina
#10 8. July 2008, 5:49 am o'clock |
Info-web,
Your definition reminds me of Aristotle’s definition:
As you said, it may be subconscious but happiness is our motive. Perhaps the difference between one person to another is the horizon of happiness they seek. Some people seek long-term happiness while some other just seek short-term “happiness” (short-term pleasure, actually).
Comment by Info-web
#11 8. July 2008, 8:51 am o'clock |
Hi Donald,
You are right “difference between one person to another is the horizon of happiness they seek”, what I want to say is even this short-term or long-term isn’t actually happiness but ‘happiness at a glance’, a glimpse of happiness which is temporary, even if the achievement which is the reason behind this happiness is permanent. This happiness will cease, as after some time he will find happiness at a new destination.
I feel that whether its short term happiness or long term happiness, whether a person is good or bad, whether he is a criminal or a politician. Everybody has his own priority and things to do, which are decided by the society as good or bad.
Now, here I feel that the underlying current, a deep rooted motive behind all these actions by these so called good and bad people is actually a search for happiness. Whatever they do, is just there way of reaching that destination. Just like water which flows through all the way to ocean, whether its drinking water or dirty water if it is poured on floor or soil it will automatically take that path.
Hope you won’t mind, but that’s what I feel.
Comment by Frode H.
#12 10. July 2008, 6:45 am o'clock |
Great theme. I really like this theme, also when it comes down to keeping co-workers happy.
I am so lucky that money is no object in my current job. So I work for other reasons. And when it comes down to happines I found out that adding value to myself and other is very important. After working at my company for two years, not for the money but for the challenge and fun I wrote this article that is the secret to why I am happy at work. (http://properpants.blogspot.com/2008/06/true-motivation.html)
At home I am deeply greatful to my wife and kids that makes me happy everyday :)
Comment by Donald Latumahina
#13 10. July 2008, 9:13 am o'clock |
Info-web,
Interesting thoughts. I agree, the search for happiness is a motive behind our actions.
Frode,
I love your post on true motivation.
This is an important key to living a fulfilling life and therefore be happy. The money will come by itself when we provide superior value to others.
Comment by pearl
#14 30. July 2008, 10:54 pm o'clock |
whatever you do is just to find happiness.
Comment by Steve
#15 17. October 2008, 4:04 pm o'clock |
I am thinking on this subject right now, my definition of happiness for now is: being satisfying with whom you are(self), what you have(belinging and environment) and what you are doing(self’s reaction to the envrionment). We can be unhappy anytime if we are not doing something we feel good doing, so keep on doing the right thing is the key.
Comment by Y. Kang
#16 23. November 2008, 1:23 am o'clock |
Happiness must be the feeling of things going a step better for propagation, otherwise mankind can not survive.
Comment by Collin
#17 3. December 2008, 3:36 am o'clock |
Hi, really great stuff here on happiness. I would like to answer that the answer that there is no easy answer to what happiness. As a Spritual life coach I have found that each one has a different path. My site is dedicated to getting people happy so this is a great subject of interest to me. If you approve your readers can check us out on happiness http://spirithappy.wordpress.com
Comment by Kang1
#18 10. January 2009, 7:35 am o'clock |
(1) VALID HAPPINESS (including love, sense of beauty, symbiosis (good conscience, upholding justice, moral couraging, helping others, teaching…) bravery, etc.) must be the feeling of things being a step better for our propagation.
(2) WELL-BEING is the ongoing feeling of things going well step by step for our propagation.
(3) VALID SUFFERING must be the feeling of things being harmful to our propagation and calling us to prevent or rectify it.
(4) SOUL (including: personality, inspiration, etc.) is the computation results of both our instinct and pre-instinct data-programs in our brain.
(5) LIFE GOAL is to propagate.
All these are our instincts (ancestors’ successful experiences saved on DNA).
Right?
Comment by John
#19 25. January 2009, 4:24 am o'clock |
Happiness is similar to darkness… You can’t measure darkness. Darkness is just the absence of light. You can only measure light. The less light there is the darker it seems. Happiness can’t be measured either. It is the absence of negative emotions/feelings (sadness, stress, pain, suffering, etc…). the only way to achieve happiness is to find away to remove the negative feeling and emotions in your life.
Comment by hanady frangieh
#20 1. February 2009, 2:22 pm o'clock |
happiness is what you do to be happy…what you feel and what you do in harmony…so be happy:)
Comment by SikhSound
#21 20. April 2009, 3:36 pm o'clock |
I believe that the secret to happiness is never giving up on your goals, because if you give up the if you failed you would know that you wont try again, if you dont give up then you’ll try again and again until you succede and reach your goal.
Comment by awa
#22 20. May 2009, 9:52 pm o'clock |
i think the happyness is when you thinking in who is the world creater. who is in charge of managing the sun and stares.when we find the answer of this quisthions i think we will find the beganning of happyness.
Comment by Katie Ann
#23 9. July 2009, 1:48 am o'clock |
“Happiness” is a game of hide and seek.
Comment by Nick
#24 6. August 2009, 12:20 pm o'clock |
Hi Donald,
you ask a very interesting question there. I recently had my own shot at defining happiness, which aims to be more “scientific” and “objective” despite being a subjective feeling: http://www.spreadinghappiness.org/2009/08/what-is-happiness/
I would love to hear your thoughts!
Thank you,
Nick
Comment by Binod Ray
#25 1. September 2009, 1:20 pm o'clock |
Happiness is a absent of sadness
Comment by georgina frangieh
#26 14. September 2009, 1:24 pm o'clock |
no happiness on earth
Comment by Mary
#27 20. September 2009, 5:12 pm o'clock |
For hapiness there exist no definiton!!
Every one have an other meaning about happiness!!
Comment by Stephen Y.
#28 21. September 2009, 3:09 pm o'clock |
happiness is based mental, emotional, spiritual and physical.
happiness is a feeling of satisfaction, fulfillment, no regrets nor burden.
my Motto?
Sacrifice meets Goals, and Goals meets Happiness..
Choices?
let’s be honest, some choices that we make in our life, is just a choice that we make to make ourselves better, or others better. but there’s a difference between being better and being Happy..
Decisions?
It’s pretty much same as choices..
Conclusion..
Happiness is a debatable subject. It’s a found word that means a lot but doesnt have an exact definition. Another one, if we really think about it, if we are really happy then how come we never get satisfied? and if we get happy don’t you notice that most of it is only for short term? Ask yourself this… when was the last time you were happy? did it last for a while? (i mean without a problem? coz’ problems are not part of happiness), last one, When was the last time you were happy that you actually didn’t do or will do sacrifice anything?
Motto again..
Sacrifice meets Goals, and Goals meets Happiness.. (short term)
LOVE = HAPPINESS (that’s what I’m On)
Stephen
Comment by Kang1
#29 19. October 2009, 7:04 am o'clock |
As to the first definition by M. Gandhi,
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
Mahatma Gandhi”
I would ask what is in harmony with. And I asked step by step and I always got the ultimate answere is in order to propagate our DNA.
Is it wrong or right?
I need help.
Comment by Kang1
#30 19. October 2009, 7:19 am o'clock |
For the second definition “Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one’s values.
Ayn Rand”, I would say the ultimate achievement of one’s values must be the propagation of his/her DNA. Wrong or right?
I need help.
Comment by Kang1
#31 19. October 2009, 8:37 am o'clock |
For the third definition the “something that you are and it comes from the way you think”; for the fourth definition, the “somewhere”; for the fifth the “consequence”; for the sixth, the” struggling and enduring and accomplishig”; for the seventh, the “purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence ”; for the ninth, the “traveling” ; and for the last, the “living every minute with love, grace and gratitude” must be in order to propagate his/her DNA if you ask the causes step by step to the ultimate end.
(See my blog http://blog.sina.com.cn/happywellness for detail.)
Am I wrong or right? I need help.
Comment by hossam
#32 4. December 2009, 4:30 pm o'clock |
HI, i just wanna to say happiness is alarge word every one tray to achive it , i think every person is happy if he look to his life a postive way and say i have something special no one have it , happiness can come from money , power
Comment by Nastya
#33 28. December 2009, 3:14 pm o'clock |
I think that we are happy but we haven`t understand it yet=)
Comment by alphas BNW!
#34 7. January 2010, 11:10 am o'clock |
dont worry be happy
Comment by essey
#35 23. January 2010, 8:49 pm o'clock |
What does it mean for us Happiness? What do we Associate with the term “satisfaction”? What do we expect of happiness?Many people are waiting for a Large and Significant moment in the Future, where they are finally HAPPY and SATISFIED…So it does not work. Happiness is something we can do in the middle of everyday LIFE and we can be satisfied 100 or 500x a day. In fact, it is often the little things that make us happy and satisfied. However, if you accept it that way, or not…it’s up to you !.And so it is with happiness and satisfaction really not that difficult: The secret lies in recognizing happy moments and occasions for a feeling of satisfaction – and then allow it… Take a deep sense of ourselves as a feeling of happiness and to enjoy with a smile.:)) Some of these moments are tiny, others take longer and some even think that is quite long.!
Good Luck!
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