Happiness, we all have it in our lives. We just do not realize that the little things we have bring us that happiness. Happiness doesn’t come from money, fame, or how wealthy we are. Happiness comes from being loved or giving love.
Andrew Shapter posted an article that has a list of 99 definitions of happiness to others. Some of the things listed in this article that I believe bring happiness are: “Watching the sun creep out of the water as it rise into a new day” knowing we have been given another day on this earth to be a better person. “Unconditional Love”, “Enjoying what you have”, “Remembering that life is short and that each moment counts.” There are plenty more that I really enjoyed. I think this is an excellent article because here people do not care about the money. All they think about is little things that bring them happiness. That’s what should matter to everyone. We should all appreciate what we have because what we have, some people are not even close to having.
Jen Angel says there are 10 Things Science Says Will Make Us Happy. The first one that I think is a great one is, “Pause now and then to smell a rose” you can be surprised to see what can put a smile on your face. Smelling a rose not only can bring happiness, but it can also make us appreciate that we have a nose to smell and eyes see a beautiful rose. During spring of 2010 I was going to school here at Woodland Community College. I was with my friend, Cowboy Tom and we were heading to our cars after a long day of class. Tom told me to take a tour of the Rose Garden on campus. So we went there and smelled all the pretty roses, saw all the different kinds and what they were named. I was pretty impressed by these entire roses and just inhaling the smell put a smile on my face. Knowing that something so small can bring a smile on my face was a good thing to experience. Jen also says to put money low on the list. As we can see here money is listed, but it is said that science says, “People who put money high on their list are more at risk for depression.” Yes! Finally someone that agrees with me. Money does cause depression, it causes greediness. People who spend their whole lives trying to make money and trying to be wealthier are the ones who are not loved, or have a life full of happiness. They think that money will bring them happiness. But money cannot give you love, joy or someone who cares about you. Also smile, even when you do not feel like it. Just smile it will make you feel good. And it will put a smile on someone else’s face. Whenever I go through rough nights, the next day I wake up hoping that today will be a good day. I go to work with a smile on my face. And just smiling I forget all the problems and I feel good.
David Myers makes a list of things that are the Secret to Happiness. We need to have close, supportive relationships, positive traits and flow. Money cannot bring these things! “Optimism, self esteem and perceived control over one’s life are among the traits that mark happy experiences and happy lives.” Davis also talks about how money does not bring happiness he says, “We are twice as rich and not happier” People who are rich have the money to buy what they want, that will make them happy, but how long will this happiness last? When they get tired there going to want more and more that’s how it keeps working. Take me for example: I really wanted a car last summer. And I told my parents it doesn’t matter what color, size, or shape I just want a car. I told myself that if I get a car I’ll be happy, I’ll be doing whatever I want to do. I was certain that my life would change with a car. So I saved up and got a car. It’s barely been a year this July and now I am asking for a new one. Because I am tired of this one and it’s been causing problems. But the truth is this car gets me places and I need to appreciate it. As you can see materialistic things well not make me happy for long.
7 Ways to Be Happy by Judy Dutton gives 7 ways to be happy. Lighten up, get moving, and look for a joy buddy. Who likes to be around people who are downers and never smile? “Studies show that happiness comes with certain states of mind and heart such as generosity, kindness or gratitude.” Ask yourself, can money bring any of these things? No it cannot. This stuff comes from within us. Also being very still, this means having time to yourself. It’s about “Reminding yourself that life isn’t about racing as fast as you can.” It’s about enjoying each moment you live like it is your last. Do a song or dance. Now that can help research says, “That an organ in the inner ear is connected to a part of the brain that registers pleasure.” So singing can make us happier. My siblings and I always sing in the car when we are driving places. And we are laughing and singing. Laughing at how stupid we sound, but just enjoying ourselves. There has never been a time when we sing that we are sad.
In the next hour be happy. It has seven tips listed some are: boost your energy, reach out to friends, create a calmer environment and do a good deed. All of the things listed here are just little things you can do for yourself. As you can see here none of the things listed in any of the articles that I have listed say that you have to have money to be happy. None say that be rich, or it’s all about being wealthy. All of these articles have things you can do for yourself just to make your life easier, happier and enjoyable. That’s what truly matters and that’s what these and plenty other articles say.
When I was younger, I was a happy person. I didn’t have to worry about anything. I never had a car, or bills to pay. When I started working and I started making money, I was like YES! I’m going to be happy that I have money and I’ll buy whatever I want and do whatever I want with this money because it’s my money. I was wrong. When I started working I had to save up money for a car so I didn’t get to spend the paychecks I would get. Also dealing with the bank and understanding how everything works was a headache. I will tell you the truth that I still cannot deal with the bank stuff my brother does it for me. And then my car got messed up and I had to spend money to get it fixed. And still now to this day every time before I get paid I always tell myself, “Yes finally a check now I’ll go shopping.” That never happens something comes up that just ruins it all. So as you can see here money caused all this stress. I thought with money life was going to be perfect, but it’s not. I got bills to pay and my car to fix. I understood it’s not about money, which is not what counts. It’s about enjoying, helping others and being happy. And I am very happy where I am in life. I love my job, I am surrounded by people who care about me and I am thankful that I have a good life to live.
I believe that happiness is in everyone’s lives. If something bad happens in life it is for us to decide how we react to this situation. There are a few seconds in between that we can say, “I’m not going to let this one thing affect my mood or my life” or we can cry, whine and be sad about it. We choose to be happy or sad. So we all can have happiness in our lives, it is a choice! Happiness comes from within us; no materialistic thing can make us happy. There are times when things can give us the illusion of being happy, but that is not real happiness. People believe that happiness is hard to find and a big reason for that is because people do not know how to find it, or where to start. We all have it! We forget about what we have and we always “want” more. There are little things that we have that others do not have. We should be happy we have a life to live; we have a home to be safe in, clothes to wear, food to eat, and a bed to sleep on. Some people are not lucky to have these kinds of things. So we are fortunate that we are given these things.
Works Cited
"10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy by Jen Angel — YES! Magazine." YES! Magazine — Powerful Ideas, Practical Actions — YES! Magazine. Web. 19 July 2010. .
"7 Simple Ways to Be Happier - Healthy Living - Health.com." Healthy Living - Healthy Living - Health.com. Web. 19 July 2010. .
"Andrew Shapter: 99 Definitions of Happiness." Breaking News and Opinion on the Huffington Post. Web. 19 July 2010. .
Myers, David. "The Secret to Happiness by David Myers - YES! Magazine." YES! Magazine — Powerful Ideas, Practical Actions — YES! Magazine. Web. 19 July 2010. .
"Seven Tips for Making Yourself Happier IN THE NEXT HOUR." The Happiness Project. Web. 19 July 2010.
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