What is Happiness?

Viewpoints…

You can pick your friends. You can pick your viewpoints, but you can’t pick your friends’ viewpoints.

This weekend, I got to talking about happiness after a long hike with my friend Jenny.

“Are you happy?” she asked me.

Without a thought, I said yes.

My mom raised me to believe happiness is a choice. If I want it, it’s there, so all I have to do is choose it. Happiness is a choice and not something that I often question.

When you break it down though, what is happiness?

I find myself always busy. Hiking, boating, traveling, dancing…

Do these activities actually make me happy?

“Happiness is not a goal…it’s a byproduct of a life well lived.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt

“The happiness of your life depends  upon the quality of your thoughts.”
-Marcus Aurelius

Do the people?

“You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens.”
-Mandy Hale

Yes, that’s Chris Brown and me striking a yoga pose. When in doubt, zen it out. 😉

I believe it’s the overall compilation of everything. Point blank, the choice to be happy.

Being happy doesn’t mean everything is perfect, rather it means you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.

So do these activities bring happiness? Sure, why not. And here’s a list and another and, oh yeah, one more from me that aid in the happiness goal. 🙂

When it rains
look for rainbows
When it’s dark
look for bright stars

Choose to see beauty in everyday life. The colors. The passion.

Happiness is letting go of the supposed life and celebrating the actual life.

Don’t question it, just live it.

And search on pinterest when you need motivation. Or here. 🙂

“There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path.”
-Gautama Buddha

Question for you: Are you happy?