Happiness can feel fleeting and elusive, despite being the proverbial fox many of us are hunting. Because it can feel elusive, and because it often comes in small snippets peppered throughout days and weeks, it can be easy to wonder if there is a secret to achieving happiness that others are experiencing. Is there a secret to learning to be happy, no matter what? First, let’s take a look at what happiness truly is.
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What Exactly Does It Mean to Be Happy?
The precise definition of happiness can be difficult to nail down. One researcher sought to do just that, and arrived at a definition that involved a general sense of well-being or hope in the goodness and worthwhile nature of life. Happiness is most often associated with feelings of lightness and clarity, and may be tied to bright or positive imagery, such as a bright, sunny day. Happiness may also be tied to seasons, whether those are seasons of life, such as childhood or retirement, or literal seasons in the year, such as spring and summer. In the absence of all of these sources of imagery, however, there remains a sensation of lightness and ease when people think of happiness, and it is this definition that enjoys an enduring link to happiness.
How to Define Happiness for Yourself
While there are the measures of happiness that we’ve discussed above, happiness does look different for everyone. Different personalities will find joy in different things; while some may find happiness in going to an art gallery, others may feel more happiness sitting on a porch on a brisk morning while drinking tea and watching birds. Happiness cannot be quantified or boiled down into a single series of steps or experiences, but must instead be identified according to your own unique wants and needs, and your own desire to live a happy, fulfilled life.
This is one of the most essential “secrets” to happiness: learning how to define it for yourself. Monetary success is not always linked to happiness, nor is marriage or being in a relationship. Having children cannot always point to happiness, and regular travel is not always associated with spikes in feelings of joy or fulfillment. Learning what makes you happy, specifically, will help you identify the strategies you can implement to increase the amount of happiness you feel and the consistency with which you experience moments of joy.
The Secret to Happiness
Taking the definition of happiness and the definition of your own personal happiness into account, the so-called secret of happiness may reside in self-knowledge and self-reflection. Mindfulness practices have long been used to cultivate a sense of serenity and deep calm, and these practices can also be utilized to get to know who you are, what you like, and what brings you your own personal brand of happiness. If you find yourself feeling safest and most at home when you are surrounded by bustling energy and a veritable mountain of the people you hold dear, you can create more opportunities to get together with your family and friends. If you experience happiness most thoroughly when you are sitting quietly on a beach and breathing in and out as the tide moves in and out, you can set aside more time to spend by the water. If you are fulfilled and lit up by helping others, you can volunteer or even move your career to one that involves helping others. Knowing yourself by journaling, mindfulness practices, self-reflection and more can all help you develop a more robust sense of happiness with yourself and your life, and can be considered one of the most important secrets to happiness. To learn more secrets to happiness, check out some of the articles dedicated to exploring happiness, here.
