photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography
Under all of our desires is our desire to be happy. You may want a new home, nice car, better health or romance but you need it to be happy. Happiness is a positive emotional state, an interal choice.
What happiness is:
Knowing who I am
Being who I am
Accepting who you are
Inner peace
Knowing what is important
Living in harmony with nature
Compassion for others
Being mindful
Savoring everyday
Giving thanks
Total engagement
Having good character
Playfulness and laughter
Passion and enthusiasm
Meaning and purpose
Honoring family and friends
Forgiving self and others
A love of learning
Kindness and generosity
Loving and being loved
Appreciation of beauty
Faith, hope and optimism
An inside job
Living my best life
Nothing Iv’e listed are tangible. Happiness is an inside job. Choose to live happy regardless of your circumstances today. Create a peaceful and loving energy.
It’s an empowering choice!
You can never get enough of what you don’t need to make you happy. -Eric Hoffer
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{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Tess – that is a great list .. Accepting who we are – seemed to stand out for me .. if we do that then the others will fall into place, with our self evaluation and improvement.
That was lovely to read .. have a good weekend with the family and friends
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stores
Tess,
You have such wise lists. Right now I’m working on forgiving self and others
HI Tess,
What a truly empowering post! It is indeed our choice to be happy….how we choose to do so is entirely up-to us.And to me personally external factors dont count for my internal happiness. My attitude will grant me happiness now if i truly want…irrespective of money, big house, etc…My positive, non judgmental and loving attitude towards life will inturn grant me lasting happiness.
Thank you so much for this wonderful wonderful and highly empowering post.
You and your blog Rock!
Big Hug.
Hi Tess,
The post for today is Great ! I really need to work on the Accepting who you are ! Some days it is hard to realize that you are somebody besides a mother and a wife. But with your wonderful posts and thought provoking
questions I think this cacoon is finding a butterfly .
Have a wonderful weekend !
Mary B
happy happy day!
Love this. My two favorites are “knowing who I am” and “being who I am”. Once I found those two, happiness was mine for the taking. Thank you for sharing this list.
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Tess,
I LOVE the headlining photograph! Very peaceful, serene and it really brought an unexpected smile to my face!
I love being happy. I love sloshing over. And I always find it kind of cool when someone says to me, “I want what you have…how do I get it?” That’s when I know there’s a student who’s ready
xo
Peggy
PS – Part Two is posted!
Yep! And wanting what we have.
xo
OMG, I lovvvvvvvvvvvve this post. Happiness IS an inside job and it’s taken me a long time to realize it. I love, love, love your list. Happiness is reading this post!
What a great post! I’m new to reading your blogs and let me tell you, I just love them. Anything that will inspire me to be a better person is good in my book.
Oooh, happiness is my favourite subject
Perfect list, and my fav bit is what Dani picked out: “Happiness is an inside job.” Totally and utterly!
yes, yes and yes to this post! i have absolutely learned the hard way that happiness HAS to come from inside..no amount of stuff will do it for me.
and I love the quote!
Happiness is contagious…..
Your post and then reading all of the comments made my already very joyful day more joyful…thank you:)
Beautiful! My favorite part is that we should choose to be happy no matter what our circumstances. I know there are people who have so very little, and deal with major complications (health or otherwise) but still manage to have a happy and grateful disposition. That is my goal every day… to not be defined by my circumstances.
Thanks for the reminder! Happiness is definitely a choice!
Hi Tess,
Beautiful list!! The one that stood out was Inner Peace…it made me realize that this is exactly what I want and need! Thank you for shedding light!
Hillary,
I agree accepting ourselves with self evaluation and improvement. In fact that’s a another post! I’m grateful for your insights and support Hillary.
Daphne,
Forgiving yourself and others will guarantee you freedom and inner peace. You are wise Daphne and I’m glad we’re friends.
Zeenat,
Non judgement, positivity and a loving attitude…PRICELESS!
Mary,
Thanks for the support you provide for me and my blog. You have a wonderful weekend as well. I’ll bet you’re on the boardwalk enjoying the last of summer!
Andrea,
Thanks and your art adds to my happy happy day!
Jill,
Happiness is mine for the taking…that says it all. I’ve not heard it put that way before.
David,
Thanks for sharing your resources with us.
Peggy,
I love sloshing over. It’s sounds alive and messy and fun. And yes it’s an honor to have people tell us they want what we have. For me they usually notice my energy. My enthusiasm for life sloshes over!
XO
Jannie,
And I have you as a friend. That’s easy to want!
Dani,
I appreciate your enthusiasm for this post. You’re the best!
Kristie,
I’m glad you found my blog and especially that you’ve joined the conversation. Welcome and let me know if I can help you in any way.
Hilda,
Yeah and that’s what I want to focus on! Me and my inside job!
Brandi,
It’s easy to declutter and let go of stuff once this is understood. Welcome to happiness.
Lisis,
You are so strong and we all get stronger from watching you and reading your stories. You rock and I wish you and your family the best on your journey. Thanks for stopping by.
Mary,
Once we have inner peace not much else matters. I’m with you all the way!
Happiness rules. I totally agree that happiness is an internal choice. Material things don’t really give you that much happiness compared to the pleasure you get when you’re happy just being who you are.
Ah! this is a happy happy post
A line I like to use and remind myself when it comes to happiness is – Happiness is your right and your responsibility.
Tess,
“Happiness is an inside job” – I love that thought! It is! Deep and true happiness doesn’t come from things, it comes from within – and getting to that place is such a good place to be…
Lance´s last blog ..Detours on the Path of Life
My friend once told me ‘happiness is true wealth.’ He surmised that when people say they want more money, what they actually mean is they want more happiness and inner peace.
Another great list – thanks for putting it out there!
Megan “JoyGirl!” Bord´s last post…Resentment Is Ridiculous
John,
And I’m happy knowing you’re happy being who you are. You’re an example to all young people with you blog and your dreams. Keep going and keep leaping.
Avani,
I love that line and I take my rights and responsibilities and run with them happily and free.
Lance,
You are an example of a happy person with a happy family. The fact that you’re so active and involved makes for a great life.
Megan,
That’s a wise person. I’ve not thought of it that way before and it makes so much sense!
thank you for this. i like how concise this post is. very simple. it gets to the point.
i would list one more thing that happiness is, similar to some you have posted, but i think a little different: “accepting yourself” (or even “appreciating yourself”). a lot of the times when we push ourselves to become better & better all the time, we forget to just love ourselves. i’ve come to love myself a bit more lately, and i would say it is a kind of happiness! thanks again tess
steve [i dance for ten years right now]´s last post…What do you really want?
Hi Tess!
Another thought provoking list, and I love it! “Knowing what is important” is certainly a biggie with me. Get that right and everything else seems to fall into place doesn’t it?
Thanks Tess!
Keith´s last post…Weigh Anchor!
Hi Tess.
It took me a while to really get what it meant that happiness is a choice.
What do you mean choice, am I suppose to choose happy when I am soaking in this tent for days and I am desperate for some sun. THIS is my 3 weeks out of the office and it is raining. I am miserable and grumpy, thank you, I did NOT choose this!!!!!
I have come a long way and I really hear you when you say happiness comes from within and can be a choice. It makes me a power house and not a victim of circumstances. That is big!
I love your buffet of happiness, I have a look what I will choose for today.
Lots of love, Wilma
Wilma Ham´s last post…Forget unfair and luck, integrity is what counts.
Love, love, love this list! I am going to work on one of my own. I suspect many items on my list will be similar to yours. Happiness is universal, it seems! Thanks for sharing this, Tess. Looking at the world this way really is heartwarming.
Jodi at Joy Discovered´s last post…Off the Shelf: 365 Tao~Work
That is wonderful Tess, yes happiness is all those things and more:)
Suzie Cheel´s last post…What Am I Grateful For Today? #124
I love this list. I wrote a long time ago about my own pursuit of happiness. This simple, concise post makes things clearer. Thank you.
Hi Tess. I too loved the “inside job” idea. It is true. Knowing what is important… is… important
Do we want to be right, or do we want to be happy?
Davina´s last post…At the End of the Day
Exactly. Life is not a search for happiness; happiness is a by-product of right living.
Jared | SpiritualZen.net´s last post…The Spiritual Power of Now
Tess, what a beautiful description of what happiness is! Happiness is always a choice. That’s something I teach a lot of. It always has been a choice and always will be. I love the quote by Eric Hoffer.
Have a wonderful day choosing lots of happiness!
Jennifer´s last post…What Do You See?
Tess,
Another list that made my day (or evening!). Isn’t it wonderful that happiness has so little to do with material things? Tess illustrated how the BEST things in life are free: gratitude, mindfulness, kindness, friendship, love, faith, purpose, passion, peace, simplicity…
Just writing this makes me breathe deeper…Thank you Tess…I am so glad I met you in blogland!
I am not sure how to make my blog show up…but Tess has a great posting on living your dreams: @www.BrendaStrausz.blogspot.com