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This quote is explaining how even if the things you choose to do in life could be smaller than the bigger things that happen in your life. And that you should take the step anyway and face your fears and do those littler things anyway. I think that this relates to Gatsby because he had to do many small little things to get to where he was when he had aquired the money and was able to buy a big house.

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HappinessFinding if happiness is truley achievablePeople are able to find happiness through many different things Achieving good grades is something that makes people happyThese three things do have a big impact on happinessThings that effect our happiness could have a bigger impact in our lives When parents act a certain way kids pick up their reactionsBeliefs are different for each people so that's why their happiness can be differentThings that happen in our lives impact our happiness at different times

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This article explaines just some of the ways why people are happy. The three ways of how a person can be happy come from their genes, events that happen to them over time and their values. I personally think that there are many different ways to be happy but these three definatly have a big role in our happiness as well. The way that we veiw or experience an event plays a big role in our daily lives. And society has a big part in our happiness as well. We want everybody to like us as humans we want to please society. Sometimes that makes people happy but most of the time it does not and if we were just to care about ourselfs more and worry less about other people I think that we would be happier people in general.

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But even demographically identical people vary in their happiness. What explains this?

The first answer involves our genes. Researchers at the University of Minnesota have tracked identical twins who were separated as infants and raised by separate families. As genetic carbon copies brought up in different environments, these twins are a social scientist's dream, helping us disentangle nature from nurture. These researchers found that we inherit a surprising proportion of our happiness at any given moment - around 48 percent. (Since I discovered this, I've been blaming my parents for my bad moods.)

If about half of our happiness is hard-wired in our genes, what about the other half? It's tempting to assume that one-time events - like getting a dream job or an Ivy League acceptance letter - will permanently bring the happiness we seek. And studies suggest that isolated events do control a big fraction of our happiness - up to 40 percent at any given time.

But while one-off events do govern a fair amount of our happiness, each event's impact proves remarkably short-lived. People assume that major changes like moving to California or getting a big raise will make them permanently better off. They won't. Huge goals may take years of hard work to meet, and the striving itself may be worthwhile, but the happiness they create dissipates after just a few months.

So don't bet your well-being on big one-off events. The big brass ring is not the secret to lasting happiness.

To review: About half of happiness is genetically determined. Up to an additional 40 percent comes from the things that have occurred in our recent past - but that won't last very long.

That leaves just about 12 percent. That might not sound like much, but the good news is that we can bring that 12 percent under our control. It turns out that choosing to pursue four basic values of faith, family, community and work is the surest path to happiness, given that a certain percentage is genetic and not under our control in any way.

The first three are fairly uncontroversial. Empirical evidence that faith, family and friendships increase happiness and meaning is hardly shocking. Few dying patients regret overinvesting in rich family lives, community ties and spiritual journeys.

Work, though, seems less intuitive. Popular culture insists our jobs are drudgery, and one survey recently made headlines by reporting that fewer than a third of American workers felt engaged; that is praised, encouraged, cared for and several other gauges seemingly aimed at measuring how transcendently fulfilled one is at work.

Those criteria are too high for most marriages, let alone jobs. What if we ask something simpler: "All things considered, how satisfied are you with your job?" This simpler approach is more revealing because respondents apply their own standards. This is what the General Social Survey asks, and the results may surprise. More than 50 percent of Americans say they are "completely satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their work. This rises to over 80 percent when we include "fairly satisfied." This finding generally holds across income and education levels.

This shouldn't shock us. Vocation is central to the American ideal, the root of the aphorism that we "live to work" while others "work to live." Throughout our history, America's flexible labor markets and dynamic society have given its citizens a unique say over our work - and made our work uniquely relevant to our happiness. When Frederick Douglass rhapsodized about "patient, enduring, honest, unremitting and indefatigable work, into which the whole heart is put," he struck the bedrock of our culture and character.

I'm a living example of the happiness vocation can bring in a flexible labor market. I was a musician from the time I was a young child. That I would do it for a living was a foregone conclusion. When I was 19, I skipped college and went on the road playing the French horn. I played classical music across the world and landed in the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra.

I was probably "somewhat satisfied" with my work. But in my late 20s the novelty wore off, and I began plotting a different future. I called my father back in Seattle: "Dad, I've got big news. I'm quitting music to go back to school!"

"You can't just drop everything," he objected. "It's very irresponsible."

"But I'm not happy," I told him.

There was a long pause, and finally he asked, "What makes you so special?!"

But I'm really not special. I was lucky - lucky to be able to change roads to one that made me truly happy. After going back to school, I spent a blissful decade as a university professor and wound up running a Washington think tank.

Along the way, I learned that rewarding work is unbelievably important, and this is emphatically not about money. That's what research suggests as well. Economists find that money makes truly poor people happier insofar as it relieves pressure from everyday life - getting enough to eat, having a place to live, taking your kid to the doctor. But scholars like the Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman have found that once people reach a little beyond the average middle-class income level, even big financial gains don't yield much, if any, increases in happiness.

So relieving poverty brings big happiness, but income, per se, does not. Even after accounting for government transfers that support personal finances, unemployment proves catastrophic for happiness. Abstracted from money, joblessness seems to increase the rates of divorce and suicide, and the severity of disease.

And according to the General Social Survey, nearly three-quarters of Americans wouldn't quit their jobs even if a financial windfall enabled them to live in luxury for the rest of their lives. Those with the least education, the lowest incomes and the least prestigious jobs were actually most likely to say they would keep working, while elites were more likely to say they would take the money and run. We would do well to remember this before scoffing at "dead-end jobs."

Assemble these clues and your brain will conclude what your heart already knew: Work can bring happiness by marrying our passions to our skills, empowering us to create value in our lives and in the lives of others. Franklin D. Roosevelt had it right: "Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort."

In other words, the secret to happiness through work is earned success.

This is not conjecture; it is driven by the data. Americans who feel they are successful at work are twice as likely to say they are very happy overall as people who don't feel that way. And these differences persist after controlling for income and other demographics.

You can measure your earned success in any currency you choose. You can count it in dollars, sure - or in kids taught to read, habitats protected or souls saved. When I taught graduate students, I noticed that social entrepreneurs who pursued nonprofit careers were some of my happiest graduates. They made less money than many of their classmates, but were no less certain that they were earning their success. They defined that success in nonmonetary terms and delighted in it.

If you can discern your own project and discover the true currency you value, you'll be earning your success. You will have found the secret to happiness through your work.

There's nothing new about earned success. It's simply another way of explaining what America's founders meant when they proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence that humans' inalienable rights include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

This moral covenant links the founders to each of us today. The right to define our happiness, work to attain it and support ourselves in the process - to earn our success - is our birthright. And it is our duty to pass this opportunity on to our children and grandchildren.

But today that opportunity is in peril. Evidence is mounting that people at the bottom are increasingly stuck without skills or pathways to rise. Research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston shows that in the 1980s, 21 percent of Americans in the bottom income quintile would rise to the middle quintile or higher over a 10-year period. By 2005, that percentage had fallen by nearly a third, to 15 percent. And a 2007 Pew analysis showed that mobility is more than twice as high in Canada and most of Scandinavia than it is in the United States.

This is a major problem, and advocates of free enterprise have been too slow to recognize it. It is not enough to assume that our system blesses each of us with equal opportunities. We need to fight for the policies and culture that will reverse troubling mobility trends. We need schools that serve children's civil rights instead of adults' job security. We need to encourage job creation for the most marginalized and declare war on barriers to entrepreneurship at all levels, from hedge funds to hedge trimming. And we need to revive our moral appreciation for the cultural elements of success.

We must also clear up misconceptions. Free enterprise does not mean shredding the social safety net, but championing policies that truly help vulnerable people and build an economy that can sustain these commitments. It doesn't mean reflexively cheering big business, but leveling the playing field so competition trumps cronyism. It doesn't entail "anything goes" libertinism, but self-government and self-control. And it certainly doesn't imply that unfettered greed is laudable or even acceptable.

Free enterprise gives the most people the best shot at earning their success and finding enduring happiness in their work. It creates more paths than any other system to use one's abilities in creative and meaningful ways, from entrepreneurship to teaching to ministry to playing the French horn. This is hardly mere materialism, and it is much more than an economic alternative. Free enterprise is a moral imperative.

To pursue the happiness within our reach, we do best to pour ourselves into faith, family, community and meaningful work. To share happiness, we need to fight for free enterprise and strive to make its blessings accessible to all.

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But even demographically identical people vary in their happiness. What explains this? The first answer involves our genes. Researchers at the University of Minnesota have tracked identical twins who were separated as infants and raised by separate families. As genetic carbon copies brought up in different environments, these twins are a social scientist's dream, helping us disentangle nature from nurture.

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quotes on deciding on being happy or not - Google Search

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This quote remided me of gatsby, when gastby is always trying to impress daisy with everything that he does because he want's it to be perfect for her. This quote shows that sometimes in order for people to be happy they have to let somethings go, because not everthing can be perfect all the time even if people have money to make it better things just don't go away because you pay for them to that's not how it works in life. And that is why I think that this quote relates to the book the Great Gatsby because sometimes we just have to let things go because not everything we do can be perfect all the time.

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This quote remided me of gatsby, when gastby is always trying to impress daisy with everything that he does because he want's it to be perfect for her. This quote shows that sometimes in order for people to be happy they have to let somethings go, because not everthing can be perfect all the time even if people have money to make it better things just don't go away because you pay for them to that's not how it works in life. And that is why I think that this quote relates to the book the Great Gatsby because sometimes we just have to let things go because not everything we do can be perfect all the time.

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quotes on deciding on being happy or not - Google Search

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Something that I have learned from doing this survey is that people who say that they are happy right now might be happy for reasons that could go away in the future for them. For the most part people said that they were happy because of things that they could buy or replace. I think that this is related to the book the Great Gatsby because in the book Tom and Daisy are two character who have a lot of money and they were born into having a lot of money as well. Later in the book Daisy ends up killing someone while driving the car and that lead to someone else getting killed. But because they had money they were able to leave and let the other people clean up their messes. So that they can be happy again in the future just like who people answered the questions in the survey.

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Please answer these questions your answers will be used in a research project!

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Here's how to be truley happy right now 

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Here's how to be truley happy right now 

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This article is covering how everyone thinks that they are happy when people are really happy for the wrong reasons. Most people say that they are happy with their lives right now, but when something breaks or you loose something sometimes people are no longer happy. This is because they were happy about the material obejects in their life and not the things that really mattered.

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Many of us have been believing in a lie. We've bought into the myth that happiness is something we achieve when everything in our life finally looks the way we've been thinking it should. Cue the relationship, ring, job, country house, wardrobe, vacations, beauty products, weight loss. But here's the challenge: These things alone don't create lasting happiness, so happiness becomes this elusive thing that we desire but don't know how to achieve.

We can choose happiness in this moment.

The truth is that happiness is not circumstantial. And this is really good news. It means we don't have to wait for everything to be perfect, nor do we have to control anything outside of ourselves in order to feel a certain way. Becoming aware of this truth is a total game-changer, because it means we can choose happiness in this moment. And something beautiful happens when we do this: When we feel happy first, our outward experience begins to shift in ways we'd only dreamed of.

In this article, I'll discuss how people can reset their attitude toward happiness and share three tips for cultivating happiness from the inside, out.

Searching for Happiness in all the Wrong Places

It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that we will be happy as soon as everything in our lives is exactly the way we want it to be-and that the solution to happiness is that we must keep working harder to control these external situations in order to make them "right." But when we make things happen (lose the weight, get the relationship, get the raise) in a condition in which we are needing them to fill us up, validate us, or make us feel whole and complete, these changes won't be sustainable. We might even realize these outward things don't make us happy after all.

In reality, self-love is the baseline of happiness. When we live from a pure space of self-love, we are able to achieve sustainable happiness, because our internal feelings of abundance will reflect back to us in the form of beautiful relationships, purpose-driven work, and financial freedom. In short, self-love puts us on the fast track to healing. Our work is to clear out our fearful perceptions and shift them back to a loving perspective on life, which reveals our perfection and wholeness.

We don't need to be fixed and nothing is wrong with us -these are just the stories we've been telling ourselves. When we let go of our limiting beliefs, we can finally experience freedom, happiness, and our highest potential.

Learning to Feel Happy Within

Here, I share three practical ways to cultivate more happiness within and create a life beyond your wildest dreams.

1. Connect With Yourself

Slow down and get quiet enough to listen to your inner guide (a.k.a your intuition or your truth), and spend less time listening to other people's opinions or the loud, critical voice inside your own mind (which often manifests as racing thoughts or 3a.m. panic). One of the best practices for cultivating the ability to hear your inner guiding system is meditation. If finding the time to sit quietly is not realistic at the moment, an even simpler life-changing practice is to make daily mundane activities-such as brushing our teeth or standing in line at the grocery store-a time for quiet reflection. In these moments, ask for guidance and listen for some clear answers.

When we flex our spiritual muscle and connect with ourselves, it gives us access to an inner abundance of wisdom and knowledge (you'll recognize it as a quiet, calm knowing voice). This inner source of wisdom will always guide us to our best right actions.

2. Set an Intention to Be Happy

Despite what we may have been taught, happiness is as simple as just choosing to be happy. When we truly realize this-that happiness is a choice -we instantly empower ourselves in any situation, whether it's a relationship, job, or pattern of thinking that's been creating judgments, worry, doubt, fear, or confusion. The moment we choose to perceive things differently by choosing a loving perception of ourselves, others, and our circumstances, we not only strengthen our capacity to feel happy-we also open ourselves up to limitless possibilities where there once was seemingly no solution. A creative flow reveals itself, and we're able to experience more ease and less struggle sometimes instantly.

This is a lifelong practice, because when we're not monitoring our thoughts, they have a tendency of veering back into fear and worry. One of the simplest and most profound ways we can align with loving perceptions each day is to practice setting an intention every morning when we wake up. This intention can be very simple: Just say to yourself, I choose happiness -and feel it.

3. Surrender

Most of us don't know what "surrender" means. It's the opposite of the way many of us operate, which is by attempting to control outcomes and situations and to make things happen. In contrast, surrender occurs when we release our need to control things, and instead choose to place a higher level of trust and faith in the process of life.

When we tap into this relaxed energy, we allow that which we desire to flow to us in a miraculous way. The job, relationship, or whatever we are envisioning and desiring for our lives is all on its way-and when we surrender our plans for the timeline and the form in which we think it should arrive, we allow an even bigger and better outcome to take place. When we are not fearfully boxing ourselves in, we are able to fearlessly say YES to limitless opportunities for joy to enter our lives.

Being Happy-The Takeaway

By connecting with ourselves, setting intentions to be happy, and surrendering to the natural flow of life, we can breathe a sigh of relief, trusting and knowing that everything is unfolding in perfect, divine timing-and the only work we need to do is to get out of our own way and let life happen. Because happiness is our birthright.
Jennifer Kass is a holistic happiness coach and spiritual mentor. She is a writer and speaker and works in her one-on-one coaching programs. The views expressed herein are hers and hers alone. To learn more about Jennifer, visit www.jenniferlkass.com. Originally posted May 2013. Updated March 2014.

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Many of us have been believing in a lie. We've bought into the myth that happiness is something we achieve when everything in our life finally looks the way we've been thinking it should. Cue the relationship, ring, job, country house, wardrobe, vacations, beauty products, weight loss.

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This article highlights that being happy is a choice and that in order for us to be happy there are mant things that we can do. I agree with what the arcticle is saying because people who are happy are choosing to be in that good mood for the rest of that day. I think that I myself am a generally happy person, but sometimes I don't have a good day here and there. Some days I will wake up happy and then other things happen durring the day that can tend to make me unhappy, and I think that it's my choice whether I stay happy or not depending on what happens durring the day.

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Happiness is defined as "a mental or emotional state of well-being characterized by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy." Sounds great, doesn't it? So what makes happiness so hard to attain?

One of the common reasons we find it so difficult to find happiness is due to our perception of what it really is. Our ability to be happy depends on how we define it.

For many, happiness is defined by what has been achieved, what has been accomplished, or material things we have obtained.

While these things can contribute to the feeling of being happy, do they really bring us true happiness?

So what is happiness? Where does it come from? How do we achieve it?

Live Our "Best Life."For starters we can begin by living what I like to call our "best life." This consists of being the best version of ourselves we can be. It involves self-acceptance and no longer comparing ourselves to others. Living our best life also includes no longer using things to measure our happiness, but focusing on the feeling. Practicing mindfulness can also help us achieve happiness. In doing this we can fully experience the moment and learn to engage with each moment on its terms, taking things as they come. When we are able to accept things for what they are, we can be happier.

Practice daily gratitude.Gratitude determines our attitude. As we practice gratitude, it eventually becomes second nature. We become able to find the beauty in small things and appreciate all life has to offer.

Learn the art of letting go.When we learn to let go, we find the path to freedom. By learning to let go, we are no longer held captive by our past or lingering negative emotions.

These are other things we can do to get ourselves in a feel-good mood.

Smile.Everyone knows a smile is contagious. If you're feeling down in the dumps, force a smile and keep smiling. If you don't give into that feeling of wanting to smile, you will eventually get the giggles from looking so silly.

Smell something that makes you happy.The sense of smell is very powerful and can trigger several moods and reactions. Why not smell your way to happiness? Sniff your favorite flower, inhale your favorite fragrance, or indulge in the aromas of your favorite food. When I'm feeling down, I tend to smell lavender. I not only enjoy the smell, but it also has some calming and relaxing properties.

Do something good for someone else.If you can't put a smile on your face, put a smile on someone else's. Doing a good deed will often result in that good, bubbly feeling of joy. When you've made someone's day, how can you avoid a smile?

Do something you enjoy that you haven't done in a while.Remember that feeling of complete happiness when the wind blows in your face as you swing on a swing, or when you play a good game of baseball, or make a nice batch of cookies? Well, get up and get moving! There is no pick-me-up like doing something pleasurable you haven't done in a while. Think back to little things that have made you happy and explore those again.

Laugh, laugh, laugh.Just as a smile is contagious, so is laughter. Watch a funny movie or reminisce about something funny and just laugh. If you can't think of anything to laugh at, just start laughing and keep thinking. You're bound to eventually think of something funny or continue laughing at yourself.

These are a few suggestions, but happiness is unique and so is your path. Find what makes you happy today and live life to the fullest. Edith Wharton was quoted saying "if only we'd stop trying to be happy, we'd have a pretty good time."

Stop trying to be happy or thinking about being happy and challenge yourself to do what makes you happy. Find what makes you happy today and live life to the fullest.

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Happiness is defined as "a mental or emotional state of well-being characterized by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy." Sounds great, doesn't it? So what makes happiness so hard to attain? One of the common reasons we find it so difficult to find happiness is due to our perception of what it really is.

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Please take this survey for my research project!

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Please answer these questions your answers will be used in a research project!

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Caroline Cottrill - Unit 4 KWL - Student Template*