The True Meaning of Happiness and How to Achieve it

What is the meaning of true happiness you ask?

Happiness can mean something different for everyone. For one person the joy of spending an afternoon working on their car project might be another person’s aggravation. Or another person might get immense happiness from getting up at the crack of dawn to take their eager dog for a walk enjoying the moment in the crisp air but might trigger another person to sheer annoyance and irritation.

Happiness is a feeling that extends from our heart space, an expression of pure enjoyment that can be felt in an instant moment or for longer periods depending on our idea of happiness and our attainment of that idea.

Happiness is also different depending on our conditioning for example; a humble person who has spent their entire life living through limitations can obtain great happiness from a sumptuous meal with their family and friends. Another example may be a talented singer who has spent her entire life practicing and working at her craft putting in the discipline and dedication finally getting noticed and receiving the recognition she desires. In an instant, in that moment she has expressed pure happiness.

But are those examples really the true meaning of happiness?

Or are they just that feeling we finally have after we have obtained that thing or desire?

Happiness can change, happiness can be fleeting, here one moment, gone the next.

Happiness is also a combination of factors including;

Our basic needs;

Security, food, water, sleep and shelter are all the fundamental basics we need as humans to survive and are the essential requirements for happiness.

Love and connection;

Sharing, loving and exchanging along with touch is also vital for our happiness. Our relationships with family, friends and any exchange of inter personal connectedness also provides happiness.

Environmental;

having a healthy and safe environment, a society that nurtures and takes care of each other, enjoying time in nature, learning to respect the land and the animals, also assisting our time to helping and caring for others in our community.

Happiness comes from within.

Self-love, forgiveness, self-development and learning to embrace and love every part of our being.

Our belief begins and ends with our thoughts.

Our thoughts have a great deal to do with our personal happiness! It is a choice, a decision to become aware of our thoughts and once it becomes a habit we are more likely to enjoy a better quality of life because we are not expecting anything from a particular outcome. Patterns and cycles can break free from old conditioning and techniques.

Negative thinking can be destructive and life threatening, so our thinking is the first step to changing harmful thought programs.

Frequency and repetition can change our thinking. When we stop and take the time to become centred we are in a natural state, our true authentic self.

Relaxation is vital to our happiness.

When we are deliberate, relax our thinking and slow down we can take on new ideas.

When we can change our mindset we can reprogram our mind and by changing our perspective to any given situation we can see the greater good in every situation finding another way for our brain to see that situation to recognise that every situation has a lesson and by moving on from damaging thoughts we can view life from a much happier perspective.

For me personally,

Happiness is also finding that balance.

I have created a circle in which I have divided the circle into 12 wedges. I try to balance my life by filling in each wedge every day, starting with my basic needs, security, nurturance, family and friends, personal goals, friendship, self-expression, creativity, time to enjoy, maintaining my space, connection with oneness and God, creating a calming ambience and a sense of community. If I feel my life is out of balance I will try to refill the wedges to restore my equilibrium.