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Jimellow · 12-26-2006, 10:37 PM

I am content, and through contentness, I am happy.

How is it achieved?

For me, it relates primarily to the way I approach life. I am a very positive person, and also am very content with life. This is primarily a result of me examining things before doing them, and ultimately deciding whether the outcome will be beneficial or not in the long run. I am not a risk taker, and as a result I've been able to create and exist in a life that I find very enjoyable and comfortable.

I would suggest that the most important way for someone to be happy is to look within themselves and find out what they enjoy doing. Society might dictate that it's fun to throw poo at homeless people, but unless you genuinely enjoy the practice yourself, you are falsely attempting to enjoy life. Multiply that one example with the thousands of minute decisions we make on a weekly basis, and a trend will start to develop.

I have a suspicion that people are unhappy as a result of living lifestyles that are not necessarily suited to them, but instead deemed cool/trendy/acceptable by society. And instead of taking a risk and breaking free from the mold to pursue something they genuinely enjoy, they are instead miserable and trapped in a lifestyle not dictacted by them, but instead society.

As an example: Occasionally I will meet someone and I'll tell them I enjoy listening to classical music and reading books. In a few cases, their respnse is less about what they enjoy doing, and more about criticizing, or making fun, of the things I do for enjoyment. To me, this says, "I care more about seeming cool than I do about being myself." And that's fine, but I suspect that there are at least a few cases where people live their lives based on what society dictates, despite such a lifestyle ultimately being unenjoyable, even miserable.

I do think happiness has to be worked at to an extent. That work might only require avoiding negative situations when possible, or taking a more positive view of an initially negative experience, but it's work nonetheless. I feel that throughout life I have made an effort to live a lifestyle and take an approach that has ultimately led me to being happy and content. I used to be a very stressed person, but at some point (which I can't pinpoint), I just changed my mindset and outlook in life, and I made small changes that have ultimately resulted in me literally enjoying life whenever possible. There are bad days, but even they aren't as bad as they would have been in the past.

I don't think there is a formula for being happy. Individuals are exactly that: individual. Results do vary, but being genuine to oneself is likely one consistent trend I would list as being a key to happiness. But even then, I suppose there are people that genuinely are unhappy, and to change that might seem "fake", thus going against my recommendation.

It's pretty widely expressed that money buys happiness, but I think genuine happiness is not something that can be bought. I think happiness is less about material things and more about people coming to terms with themselves. When you get to know yourself well enough, you will also start to know what makes you happy.

12-26-2006, 10:37 PM	#8 (permalink)
Jimellow Junkie	I am content, and through contentness, I am happy. How is it achieved? For me, it relates primarily to the way I approach life. I am a very positive person, and also am very content with life. This is primarily a result of me examining things before doing them, and ultimately deciding whether the outcome will be beneficial or not in the long run. I am not a risk taker, and as a result I've been able to create and exist in a life that I find very enjoyable and comfortable. I would suggest that the most important way for someone to be happy is to look within themselves and find out what they enjoy doing. Society might dictate that it's fun to throw poo at homeless people, but unless you genuinely enjoy the practice yourself, you are falsely attempting to enjoy life. Multiply that one example with the thousands of minute decisions we make on a weekly basis, and a trend will start to develop. I have a suspicion that people are unhappy as a result of living lifestyles that are not necessarily suited to them, but instead deemed cool/trendy/acceptable by society. And instead of taking a risk and breaking free from the mold to pursue something they genuinely enjoy, they are instead miserable and trapped in a lifestyle not dictacted by them, but instead society. As an example: Occasionally I will meet someone and I'll tell them I enjoy listening to classical music and reading books. In a few cases, their respnse is less about what they enjoy doing, and more about criticizing, or making fun, of the things I do for enjoyment. To me, this says, "I care more about seeming cool than I do about being myself." And that's fine, but I suspect that there are at least a few cases where people live their lives based on what society dictates, despite such a lifestyle ultimately being unenjoyable, even miserable. I do think happiness has to be worked at to an extent. That work might only require avoiding negative situations when possible, or taking a more positive view of an initially negative experience, but it's work nonetheless. I feel that throughout life I have made an effort to live a lifestyle and take an approach that has ultimately led me to being happy and content. I used to be a very stressed person, but at some point (which I can't pinpoint), I just changed my mindset and outlook in life, and I made small changes that have ultimately resulted in me literally enjoying life whenever possible. There are bad days, but even they aren't as bad as they would have been in the past. I don't think there is a formula for being happy. Individuals are exactly that: individual. Results do vary, but being genuine to oneself is likely one consistent trend I would list as being a key to happiness. But even then, I suppose there are people that genuinely are unhappy, and to change that might seem "fake", thus going against my recommendation. It's pretty widely expressed that money buys happiness, but I think genuine happiness is not something that can be bought. I think happiness is less about material things and more about people coming to terms with themselves. When you get to know yourself well enough, you will also start to know what makes you happy. __________________ Desperation is no excuse for lowering one's standards.