How do we define happiness? I like the definition that happiness is the state of feeling or showing pleasure or contentment. In other words, it isn’t a long lasting and permanent feature or a personality trait but a more fleeting and changeable state. It can be an internal and/or external experience.
However, rather than trying to define happiness I prefer to offer a few quotations and thoughts that reflect it’s many positive influences. The following words are intended to stimulate smiles and giggles and appreciate the endless benefits that happiness provides throughout our lives.
(1) Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony. (Mahatma Gandhi)
(2) Spread happiness everyday in every way and everyone you meet will leave happier and even be encouraged to “pass it forward”. (FMF)
(3) No matter what difficulties we face we should always undertake to replace them with happy thoughts and actions that will smother the difficulties and allow us to again enjoy the precious moments in our life. (FMF)
(4) The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage. (Carrie Jones)
(5) True and lasting happiness does not lie in the accumulation of material things but in the deeper feelings provided through – love- caring – sharing – understanding – respect – and appreciation for the little things that warm our hearts every day.(FMF)
(6) If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else. (Chinese Proverb)
(7) Happiness is a personal choice and a permanent supply of happiness is stored within our heart. It is up to us to release it and share it every day in every way and enjoy the wonderful emotions, feelings and relationships it nourishes. (FMF)
(8) Happiness grows at our own firesides and is not to be picked in strangers’ gardens. (Douglas Jerrold)
(9) Don’t wait for some outside influence to bring us happiness. Think of how precious life is every day of our life and the times we spend enjoying our family, our friends and meeting strangers who may join our friendship circle. (FMF)
(10) They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for. (Tom Bodett)
(11) Pain, suffering and disappointments leave scars that can consume us with unhappy memories and a negative outlook. Happiness creates good feelings, pleasures and contentment that fill our hearts with love and our minds with fond memories and a positive outlook. Our choice is obvious. (FMF)
(12) Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy. (Anne Frank)
(13) To optimize our happiness we should not spend each day dwelling on the past. Nor should we become preoccupied and worry about the future as we can continue to learn and adapt. We should instead focus our thoughts and actions on enjoying the present and the many exciting and enjoyable experiences it provides. (FMF)
