Throughout the history of mankind, most people are still in search of a joyful lifestyle which goes back from philosophers like Aristotle and Socrates who had theories on how to fulfill human flourishing which is known as happiness. All this thoughts in their minds happened way back in 400 BC. Looking at present, a person like Chris McCandless made a decision to do a hitchhiking journey in order to pursue happiness. Happiness cannot be measured or beneficial but everyone else in the world are seeking to have the feeling of being pleased. Every person knows that they have happiness in them but it's very hard to achieve even though it’s easy to say that anybody can be happy. Just like water or air, it's difficult to grasp in your hand. Through simplistic living, being optimistic, and having content in life is the recipe of a real happiness.
Wealth is not the measurement of happiness as many of people have experienced. Materials will definitely make a person a happy but only temporary. They are only status symbols which does not guarantee the joy we all look for. That is why a term “money can’t buy happiness” is often heard because it is a hundred percent true. A person with as much money can be as unhappy like a homeless person in the streets who gave up life itself. “Being happy doesn’t mean everything is perfect, it means that you have decided to look beyond the imperfection”(Way). In short, possessions comes and goes but real happiness will stick to you as long as you choose it.
A key for happiness before anything else is to be optimistic because everything should happen mentally first so that you can set your mind to choose happiness all the time even through tough times. Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Being happiness always start on a person's mood because no one will make you happy unless you choose it and no person can make you happy unless you decide it. Your own happiness will only come from you and nothing else. If you live with a positive mindset and environment it’s like “the joy we feel striving for our potential” (Oprah). Negativity will pull you down and will just depress you and as a result you could have
In conclusion, to succeed in living a happy life a person must set aside their worries, live in the moment, and find their reason to be happy. “Let your self-consciousness, your scrutiny, your self- interrogation, exhaust themselves on that; and if otherwise fortunately circumstanced you will inhale happiness with the air you breath, without dwelling on it or thinking about it, without either forestalling it in imagination, or putting it to flight by fatal questioning”(Mill). That is the ultimate approach to
Lazy fall days, colorful leaves, cooler weather, birds singing, frogs croaking, crickets chirping, relaxing to the sounds of the outdoors. Waves of water crashing upon each other, fishing, telling stories around a campfire, making s’mores, memories with family and friends; this is what happiness is to me. Happiness is in the eye of the beholder, what brings happiness to one person may not bring happiness to another person. When I think of the word happiness, I think of descriptive words like Contentment, enjoyment, satisfaction, delightfulness, something that makes a person smile. I have always looked at the word happiness as a feeling, an action, never have I thought of happiness as an overall affect. However, it is a proven fact, that happiness can affect the over-all health and longevity of human life. Happy people live longer than those that are lonely, stressed, or depressed.
Have you ever truly sat and considered what makes you truly happy? Often times, people answer directly with the response of money. We say this without deeply considering all that we have to be grateful for. Happiness is not achieved through wealth instead through experiences, the family we love, and the nature that surrounds us, literature has created a great impact upon the ideals we consider to create our happiness.
I relate to this poem in so many ways especially because it relates so dearly to my life. It’s the idea that you have to wake up and be the best you, you can be in order to achieve your goals and succeed. The title is what intrigued me the most because it’s so ironic how the belief that you wake up smiling no matter what hardships you face will be how many people live their lives. Many of the feelings that arose within me were all due to personal experiences of my life because truly within this school year i've been truly unhappy however I never show it because I feel as if I need the positive attitude and mindset in order to get out of this stage in life and achieve my overall goal for my future. The idea of sadness and happiness play a big role within your life especially within the content of the poem in which the poem talks about how sadness won’t lead you into a successful life however happiness bring will bring you a better life. The reality of this poem can relate to the unfortunate event of Robin Williams suicide and the perception of him being happy however he was fighting his own battles of depression. The suicide of Robin Williams leads me to wonder how does the existence of depression and suicidality in comedians help reveal the meaning of the poem “ I Woke Up - Smiling “ by Ha Jin?
Based on Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi “Happiness Revisited” People have many different points of view about how to achieve happiness, it can be based on the type of life one is having, an experience, a way of living, culture, and religion. Happiness can be defined in many ways but happiness is not something we find or get just by magic. In “Happiness Revisited” by Csikszentmihalyi, the author emphasizes that “It is by being fully involved with every detail of our lives, whether good or bad, that we find happiness, not by trying to look for it directly.” And just as he stays that happiness is when someone is involved in everything that happens in live either good or bad, one example that I think Csikszentmihalyi will describe as an optimal experience
What brings us happiness, people or materialistic objects? In, “Too much of Nothing,” Charlie Creekmore states that most Americans believe wealth brings happiness meaning happiness can be bought. Though he exaggerates to make his point, I do agree with his notion. I have met too many individuals that value wealth and materialistic objects and believe that they will find happiness in that. My friend’s roommate, Shanice, my grandmother, and my mom’s co-worker, Theresa, are some of the few that believe that happiness can be bought.
Its 5:00 p.m. on a Saturday evening and I’m patiently waiting at DiCicco’s, an Italian restaurant in Kingsburg California near CVS for my special guesses to arrive. As I patiently waited with a glass of water I saw Dalai Lama, C.S. Lewis, Gretchen Rubin, Daniel M. Haybron and Thomas Jefferson as the representative of the Founding Fathers walk through the door. We all gather at the dining table and we each got a glass of water, except for Mr. Thomas Jefferson he had a cup of tea. Few minutes later our dinner was served. I personally had Ruby salad, Dalai Lama had Giovanni’s Pasta, C.S. Lewis had Manicotti, Gretchen Rubin had the Italian green mixed salad, Daniel M. Haybron had Arianna’s Bella Pasta, and lastly Mr. Thomas Jefferson had Charbroiled Chicken Breast.
Essentially, seeking happiness is necessary in life. We often hope to find happiness from other people, other things around us and forget that we can create it by ourselves. The novel “The happiness project” by Gretchen Rubin is sufficient evidence. The author states, “I am happy – but I’m not as happy as I should be.”(13) Then she started a project within a year to change her life and seek for a happier life. By making a list of things she has to do in the next twelve months, the author have done many things which affects her “Vitality” (1), her “Marriage” (38), her “Leisure” (112), her “Friendship” (141),etc. positively so that she can achieve her goal, which is a life full filed of happiness as she dreamed before. We can also do that. We know that if everyone of us set a goal and live purposely, we are all happy. However, we can be happier if we know how to change ourselves on the right way. We can make ourselves happy by doing simple things in our everyday life.
Happiness may not be easy to find for everyone. Some people may find it in the simplest things. We may be able to find it in other people, our own experiences and even our possessions. We can experience joy from entertainment, our careers and our successes. The problem is that those external things are not reliable
Happiness doesn’t just happen – it has to be made, it has to be produced, created, discovered, built from the ground up. And it has to be a decision in one’s mind: the decision to be happy. It is really simple, believe it or not. One must have a conviction to be happy no matter what trouble life throws at them; because life can certainly disrupt a person’s happiness, getting in the way of them enjoying their own life, with all the countless and never-ending mishaps and suffering. Happiness is something that comes to those who expect it and therefore deserve it.
The feeling of happiness is ubiquitous. In the book of “Stumping on Happiness” states, “to choose or want one thing rather than another because it would be more pleasant,” which is to say that the pursuit of happiness is built the very definition of desire” (Gilbert 33). Happiness is a feeling because I can use my eyes to see all the lovely things in the world. I can use my ear to listen to the natural singing softly. I can use my hand to touch the delicate petals. I am happy I can use my nose to smell the scent of grass. Happiness can have endless memories. Unlike a blind man living in the shadowy world, he has to use walking sticks as a guide to precede the life of the road ahead of him. His main support is to touch a person to perceive
You might think, that it is easy to be happy when everything goes as you wish. When your road is filled of sorrows or worries it might sound impossible and unrealistic to feel happiness.
The beautiful smile. The joyous laugh. The smiling eyes. The high pitched voice. All describe the characteristics of one being happy. Benjamin Franklin once stated “money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants.”. In turn that quote has been a center of debates for centuries. Conversing over the debatable topic in which happiness does or does not extend from money. In a society such as the twentieth century, happiness is evidently reflected by wealth. Therefore, happiness is influenced by the amount of wealth that corresponds to the way one uses their money.
Genuine happiness is not brought by wealth and power, it is brought by family or pets.“Some people think that ambitious people are selfish and are never satisfied because they always want more.” Despite the fact that ambitious people may have the best car, or the greatest house in the neighborhood, this does not guarantee true happiness in life. Materialistic items are only temporary, the happiness you get from a new Audi A3 Sedan is only for a brief time. The happiness you get from marrying the love of your life is until the end of time.
When you hear the word happiness, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Do you think of material possessions like designer clothes and accessories, the newest iPhone with the highest possible storage capacity, or a shiny red supercar? Do you think the amount of money you have or your current financial status has an effect on how happy you are? Plenty of college students, myself included, would associate happiness with possessing items like these or just having a lot of money in general. In today’s society, one common belief about social class is that the richer and more money or things that one has, the happier this will make them. This belief is reinforced by countless advertisements we see and hear everywhere, whether that be on