What, exactly, is happiness? This is a question that we all have deliberated on for as long as we can remember. And there are probably as many answers as there are humans on the face of the planet. One can use science or spirituality to explain what happiness is, but the fact remains that it means different things to different people. Some may associate it with the possession of more material things while others consider meaningful relationships with friends and family as the ultimate goal in their quest for happiness.
Personally, I find this question quite interesting. Am I happy with my life or is there something missing from it? On the face of it, I should be quite happy, and I am for the most part. I have friends and family who care about me deeply. I am living what many would call the perfect life, a great family and a few close friends who I know will always have my back no matter what. Apart from that, I go out and interact with many different types of people both at work and in different social gatherings. Ample time is spent indulging in a few hobbies that are close to my heart. Quality time is also spent hanging out with both friends and family. An ideal life in the eyes of most people. Yet, there are times when I feel lost and confused and somewhat empty. And it is hard to explain this feeling, to be honest.
Don’t get me wrong here. Not for a minute am I trying to suggest that life has dealt me an unfair hand. On the contrary, I have been lucky enough to always enjoy a life of privilege and comfort. And I am not a thankless or ungrateful individual by any means. But there are moments every now and then when I wonder where I am going with things, and is this all there is to life? I mean, no higher purpose or calling and not really making a meaningful difference in the lives of my fellow human beings. There has got to be more to life than just eating, sleeping, going to work, and looking for new modes of entertainment. I often feel that I need to make more of my life and get involved in something other than the daily grind of work and home.
Then, there is that urge sometimes of just dropping everything and going away to some far away land uninhabited and uncorrupted as yet by man’s insatiable lust for wealth and resources and power. Even if for a fleeting moment, there is a strong desire to just get away from everything and shut off from the world for some time.
Be that as it may, life has been pretty good to me. That feeling of emptiness and confusion can be quite strong and almost overwhelming at times. But, I can say with pride and confidence that life is pretty good.
The thing about happiness is that it isn’t some switch that you can turn on and off. It can often take years and years to understand what true happiness means to you. Again, the question of happiness can have as many answers as there are people on the face of the planet. My two cents on the topic are presented below.
Studies show with convincing evidence that having a mood that is on an even keel instead of one where you experience great bouts of achievement and happiness all the time can be more beneficial for your mental health. Also, whenever people are asked what it is that makes their life worthwhile, they hardly ever mention their mood. In all probability, they will mention something which they find more meaningful, such as a special relationship with someone or that career they worked so hard to make. In short, feeling good all the time will not make you happier, unbelievable as it may sound.
You know the old adage “money doesn’t buy happiness.” While it is true that living in poverty makes it really hard to be happy, having more of it does not exactly guarantee happiness or satisfaction. Imagine if you suddenly won a hefty cash prize or got a significant salary raise, you will certainly be happy (even ecstatic) for a while. But, before long, your expectations will change to completely fit your new budget. In other words, you just changed the goalpost of what happiness looked like. And not long after that, you will feel just as happy as you were before this financial windfall.
All in all, happiness is mostly a mixture of how content you are with your life (doing meaningful work) and how you feel on a daily basis. Both these things remain mostly stable. Our life does change from time to time while mood swings are also a fairly routine occurrence, but our overall happiness is determined more genetically than anything else.
At the end of paragraph 3 you say, "I often feel that I need to make more of my life and get involved in something other than the daily grind of work and home". Well, then just do it. Make your own choices. Be your own boss. Quite honestly, I get that I sound like a completely absurd guy that is telling you to just quit your job and do things that are interesting in the world, but I can almost garantee you that it will make you happy. Yes, you will have to go through the struggles of starting a business and all that stuff, but the process is what makes your life worth while, not getting up everday just to be told what to do. Only 1 and 3 Americans are really happy, and the majority are working under their boss. I know "Money doesn't create hapiness". But what creates a lot of money? Businesses right? And what would your own business have for in your life? Freedom right? And what can make you happier? Freedom right? And what can freedom and money do for you? Travel and expirence things right? So, I want you to really think about that, and I this post. Definitly earned an upvote/follow from me.
True. Happiness to me is the ability of one's inner self to be at peace. Hardly these days, people are happy. Even for me, am not sure if am happy right now.
Thx for asking myself this question.
The answer is YES.
I have a lovely family. I have a job which I don’t hate. I have good friends!
I could on the other side take a little bit more care of my body. Maybe it should give this a little bit more priority!
Many times people hope desperately, the answers for what they want are happiness, but they do not realize that the first sign of happiness is our interior. Being happy to be alive, must be the most important happiness.
When people take this into account, they begin to take their days in a totally different way. Appreciating each moment of affection. Our happiness is before our eyes, it is in us take it or come back.
A pleasure to read your post.
@jasimg what you're describing sounds incredibly familiar and I think most of us feel it at some point in our lives. What we all need to realize is that happiness has very little to do with our situation, environment and other people. It comes from within and thinking about it, as well as opening debates on this topic is a very good way to start finding it.
And you're right, there is so much more to life than going to work and coming home.
It seems like you're an open and social person, so why not try exploring some new interests? You said you have hobbies you enjoy, but maybe what you're missing is something new and exciting. A new sport, a new language, a new destination.
I never went to college and I never intend to, but I always loved learning about psychology and my issues with depression made me incredibly passionate about helping other people.
So me and my best friend started a self-help channel.
Maybe that's what you need as well, seeing as you mentioned making a meaningful difference. You don't have to revolutionize humanity, making an impact on a few people can make an incredible difference and they usually go on to help some themselves.
You blog here seems to be making quite an impact though and your content is very informative, as well as inspiring :)
You can have all the money in the world, what will give you fame, relationships, luxuries, and everything that money can buy, but there will come a time when you will feel just as empty, it's time to silence all that noise that surrounds you and listen to your inner voice that is reminding you that you are here for other things, listen to yourself and you will know, then you will feel the answer to your question. I recommend you start meditating to listen to that voice that is making you question. A lot of success for everyone.
If you erase any even a bad day - then you would not, like now.