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Happiness is that feeling that comes over you when you know life is good and you can't help but smile. It's the opposite of sadness. Happiness is a sense of well-being, joy, or contentment. When people are successful, or safe, or lucky, they feel happiness.
courtesy of dictionary.com

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what does in mean to be happy?
How does one attain it?
What makes one happy?

Does money= happiness?

How come rich people are sad?

working to live or living to work?

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-being happy isnt a feeling, it is the relationship between life and your self
-" We’re able to be with ourselves and with the world in a way that shapes our overall perception of our lives to one of love and gratitude."
-being happy isnt having everything, its loving yourself
-not everyone has to like you as long as you like yourself

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"Happiness is an inside job. Don't assign anyone else that much power over your life." ~Mandy Hale
Everyone wants to be happy, but not many people contemplate whether or not they really are.

Some of us feel too privileged to not be happy, while others don't want to face the possibility that we might not be. Here are nine truths about happiness to help you think a little more deeply about what it really means.

1. It isn't a feeling; it's a relationship to life.

To be human means that we experience a range of emotions. If you were to look at a grid and see a line in the shape of a wave it would be an accurate representation of the human experience.

We shouldn't be operating as an even, straight line. That's what I'd call a robot or someone numbed out.

Human beings experience emotions in response to life circumstances. That means sometimes you're going to feel happy, sad, and all the other emotions in between. Embrace it.

True happiness is not a state; it's the way we relate to our lives.

If we're rooted in unconditional love for ourselves, the world around us transforms.

We have the ability to express gratitude for all experiences in life. We're able to sit with difficult emotions without denying ourselves love. We're able to be with ourselves and with the world in a way that shapes our overall perception of our lives to one of love and gratitude. This is the path to happiness.

2.It requires a willingness to know the truth.

I once felt guilty for not being happy. I felt like I had no right not to be happy. After all, I was born into a loving family, I was fed, I was loved, and I was educated. I had so much more than so many people on this planet.

And then I woke up the truth that I was, in fact, not happy, and to deny that didn't change the truth.

I realized that my relationship to myself was the source of my unhappiness. I lived under the illusion that I loved myself by avoiding contemplating whether or not I did. I was able to see that I couldn't actually be happy until I learned to love myself as I am.

We have to wake up to our own underlying truths. Anything you're lying to yourself about is holding you back from true happiness.

3. You have to be willing to feel pain.

True happiness isn't the expression of happy chemicals floating through our brains. True happiness comes from the willingness to face ourselves. Only through some of my most painful experiences have I come to live in true happiness.

When I was willing to sit in the despair of my lost love, when I was willing to face the truth that I had become numb from feeling, and when I did the difficult work of healing I came out the other side. Sometimes I felt lighter, but always with a deeper understanding of who I am.

4. It has nothing to do with whether or not people like you.

Doesn't it feel great when people like you? It's like the high school experience I always dreamed of. As I got older and more comfortable with myself, I seemed to attract amazing people into my life. I loved them and they loved me.

And then someone slipped through the cracks, and I experienced someone not liking me again. It stings, right?

No one likes not being liked. But it also wasn't my problem.

As long as you're good with who you are deep down and as long as you're facing yourself each day, it's not your problem if someone else doesn't like you. It's their problem, because more often than not people are reflecting their relationship to themselves.

When someone doesn't like you it doesn't threaten your happiness. Your happiness is yours. It's your relationship to yourself and your own life. What another person thinks about you can sting, but it doesn't have to change how you feel about yourself.

5. It's what most people are pretending to be.

Comparing yourself to anyone else is not only futile but also irrelevant. Your concern should be to uncover your own truth and live according to that.

When you try to be like someone else, you are trying to live according to what you think it means to be happy like them. And the unfortunate truth is that most people are pretending to be happy.

They may gloat about their successes or perceived achievements. But true happiness is a vibration that is undeniable and needs no proving.

6. You can't look for it anywhere outside of yourself.

You will never find true happiness if you take out a flashlight and start searching. There is not one single thing outside of ourselves this will cultivate true happiness. Nothing. Not another human being whether it be a partner, parent, or child.

The only place true happiness can emerge from is through the self. We can experience moments of joy and bliss in relationship to other human beings, but true happiness is a result of your connection to your own truth.

Once you've awakened to that, all of your relationships will be more vibrant.

7. It's what babies see when they look in the mirror.

I have six younger siblings. Years ago, I remember my three year old sister looking at herself in the mirror. When I asked her if she thought she was beautiful, her eyes lit up as she looked at herself, and without a doubt, without hesitation, she said yes.

Children are not yet tainted by the judgments of our world. They see that beauty is not physical, that it's an essence. They look at themselves without judgment.

It's the same relationship to self we now have to cultivate. We have to learn to let go of the judgments of others in order to see the truth of who we are: that we are, in fact, that same beautiful baby.

8. You can't buy it, drink it, or recycle it.

True happiness is not a book you can read, lipstick you can wear, or act you can do. It's almost ineffable. It's most definitely not any of the things our culture has attempted to brainwash us into believing it is.

It's something you have to discover for yourself. It's something you have to be willing to work hard to uncover. A good place to start would be to let go of all of the ideas that things and ideas are what will bring you to true happiness.

9. True happiness reveals itself through love.

In our moments of great deliberation we have two choices: love or fear. Love is not often the easy choice. Love can challenge us. It can make us feel uneasy. Love can actually elicit deep pain.

Fear is the easy escape route. It's the choice to express anger instead of vulnerability. It's the choice to hide instead of face the pain. It's the decision to push someone away instead of embrace them.

True happiness will always be at arm's distance when you choose fear. Choosing love, especially when it's difficult, is the path to accessing true happiness.

True happiness is an unwavering connection to your own truth. It's is a connection to the soul, to the deepest part of ourselves that screams out for us to listen.

You always have the choice to align yourself with it because your soul is always communicating with you. It's happening now as you read this. Are you listening?
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"Happiness is an inside job. Don't assign anyone else that much power over your life." ~Mandy Hale Everyone wants to be happy, but not many people contemplate whether or not they really are. Some of us feel too privileged to not be happy, while others don't want to face the possibility that we might not be.

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I took an Instagram poll to see what my friends thought made them happy here are the top results:
Money
Friends
Vacation/Summer
Food
Hugs/Love
I feel like a lot of them dont know the real meaning of happiness because most of the results are material items. The rest of the results were things like summer, which is just a season and could make you feel excited but it doesn't mean you are happy 100% of summer.

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songs that make me happy are the ones that make me feel good about myself
I like songs with beats you can dance to
I also like songs I can get pumped up for and ready to do what i love, race

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Song: Flo Rida - Good Feeling Lyrics; Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, sometimes I get a good feeling, yeah I get a feeling that I never never never never had before, no no I get a good feeling, yeah Oh oh, sometimes I get a good feeling, yeah I get

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-they could be lacking relationships from working so much
-everyone always wants more so no matter the starting point, everyone wants to improve
-"Now that my “dream” has come true, I realize..there’s much more to life than just making money."
-not constantly having a purpose and a challenge could make people unhappy with their life
-everyone has different needs in what they want in life such as
-being remembered
-making a change
-becoming rich
-leaving a positive impoact on              others
-"Money can buy pleasure and/or reduce suffering. Pleasure is different from happiness."

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Imagine hitting all your life and financial goals. Sounds great, right?

But many people who get there hit a funk.

Pat Flynn, an online entrepreneur, received this chilling email not long ago. He shared this email in his book Will It Fly? It's worth sharing if you think money alone is all that matters:

Subject: I make $20,000 per month and I'm not happy.

Hi Pat, I'm sorry to email you like this, but I had no one else to turn to. I feel like I know you because I listen to your voice all day. You're like a friend, even though we've never met. Sorry if that sounds weird.

Anyway, I want to thank you. You don't know this, but you've taught me so much about how to build a successful online business. I currently generate over $20k per month in recurring revenue, but here's the thing...

I'm unfulfilled. I'm not as happy as I thought I was going to be.

A few years ago, before I started my company, the thought of making this kind of money online was a pipe dream. Now that my "dream" has come true, I realize that I didn't give my dream much thought at all and there's much more to life than just making money.

I don't even know why I'm emailing this to you, Pat. Maybe just to get it off my chest and share it with someone who might understand because you seem to have it all figured out. I don't know. I just opened my email and started typing, which is funny now that I think about it because I jumped into it without a plan, sort of like how I started my business. Clearly I need to work on that.

Anyway, I don't expect a reply because I know you're busy. Thank you Pat, for all you do.

James

This man is not alone. Throughout my hundreds of hours of study of successful people, I've found many celebrities and successful entrepreneurs come forward with the same conclusion that wealth and/or fame doesn't guarantee happiness.

What separates them from the rich and happy people?

In his book, Pat explains that he frequently meet entrepreneurs like this who have "put their ladder on the wrong building and made it to the top." They've built businesses they didn't enjoy because they wanted to get rich. Passion matters. But even if you become rich and passionate about what you do the following questions may still pop up: "Is this all there is to it?", "What do I do now?" and "I don't feel any happier" pop up.

This is an extra special episode of Will's Personal Development Podcast because it is a theme that I see is a problem for billions of people who are told by mainstream entertainment that money or fame will make them happy... when it does not. And I will prove it to you, with science.

In this episode, I dive into what to do if you are rich and successful but not happy. I will use science backed answers to explain why this happens and how to fix this. Be prepared to learn:

why you do not need to give all your money to charity to feel happy.

why people who have nothing can have so much fun and be so happy.

what rigorous, unbiased scientific research reveals about the relationship between money and happiness (it's shocking).

Without further ado, please enjoy the episode:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

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Takeaways

Here is a summary of some of the big points I brought up in the podcast for those who are busy:

Purpose, constant challenge in your work, and enjoyment of your work contribute to happiness - something money can't always buy and something some successful people forsake when they get rich and retire.

Generally speaking, people find meaning and fulfillment through Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Survival and food come first. Some turn to religion. Others turn to making an impact before they day. Others want to be known and mattered long after they die. Some want to leave a positive impact on society or a certain group of people.

Practice happiness-building practices that science shows actually brings happiness (exercise, gratitude, savoring the good, avoiding dwelling on the bad and comparison, and/or religion). See the links in the Show Notes below for specific practices you can take.

Don't get it wrong. Money helps, especially if you haven't hit the threshold of being able to afford food, healthcare, and shelter. But after that, studies show that the correlation diminishes.

If you are ever struggling with not feeling accomplished or happy with what you have achieved, even if you have achieved a lot, try this:

Compare yourself to where you were in the past rather than to others better than you or your future potential. You may be constantly beating yourself up by always comparing yourself to someone who is better. This creates an endless cycle of disappointment. I learned this technique from the strategic coach, Dan Sullivan, who has coached over a thousand entrepreneurs.

If you are feeling unfulfilled despite being successful by society's standards, try out a new career, business, or form of work.

Does Money Buy Happiness?

Money can buy pleasure and/or reduce suffering. Pleasure is different from happiness.

This is a subtle difference that even the founder of Zappos, Tony Hsieh, didn't seem to understand. I was reading his book, Delivering Happiness, and it made a lot of great points on the science of happiness, some of which is mentioned here.

But he referred to moments that were clearly temporary pleasures, like opening a brand new pair of shoes, interchangeably with moments that held long-lasting well-being (happiness), like strong friendships. This frustrated me because not understanding this difference is a huge part of why most people are confused about happiness.

Money can buy all sorts of pleasure. But pleasure would be anything that is superficial or materialistic at its core. Pleasure are moments of temporary boosts in positive feeling and enjoyment, that quickly leave you in the next few minutes, hours, weeks, or days.

True happiness, on the other hand, is enduring, resilient, and can last years no matter what troubles life throws at you.

How do you tell if something will deliver pleasure or real happiness?

Use the superficial or materialistic test. If it's something that costs a lot of money and returns you to your normal state of happiness after a while, it's probably a pleasure-delivering item rather than a happiness-delivering item.

Examples include sex, women, fancy cars, mansions, new electronics, vacations, and expensive clothes.

Often, the most science-backed factors for improving happiness are free, such as gratitude. But even if they cost little money, it stills require effort. One of the strongest factors are strength of relationships. But if you don't have friends, it will take effort to go out there and make friends.

Why don't pleasures bring happiness?

Humans are designed to adapt to them and take them for granted. There is a scientific term for this called hedonic adaptation or the hedonic treadmill, which Wikipedia has thorough documentation on.

The Yes or No Test

These questions will give you a guide towards what you're missing in your life when it comes to happiness. You don't have to answer Yes to all of these to reach your peak states of happiness but it's a red flag if you're answering No to many or all of these:

Are you fulfilled with the work you do?

Do you work more than 15 hours a week?

Do you have a lot of fun with your job?

Do you feel a sense of contribution from your recurring work where you feel you are delivering value to other people?

Do you feel a sense of purpose from what you're doing?

Are you challenged by your work (enough that it's tough but not so much that it's overwhelming)?

Do you have strong social relationships with friends and family and connect with them in person every day or at least once a week?

Are you grateful for what you have in life and make an effort to count your blessings at least once a week?

Are most or all of your top life goals already achieved so that you wouldn't regret it if you died today and didn't accomplish them? If not, are you at least making and executing on a plan to accomplish them?

Show Notes: Links Mentioned in the Episode

Dan Bilzerian creating his own video, addressing whether money brings happiness. He says it brings pleasure, but not happiness. When you raise the bar, it becomes your new standard and you get used to it and won't be satisfied with the lower standard of living you used to enjoy. Climbing the ladder and enjoying the journey will make you happy. "Money and Pussy" are black holes; you can never have enough.

Jeff Walker, a famous and wealthy internet entrepreneur, on achieving all his financial goals, still feeling lost, and deciding on a purpose:

Other Useful Resources

The world famous supermodel Cara DeLevigne's talk on happiness:

Other successful people coming out about happiness and money.

Get My Happiness Secrets Cheatsheet for Free

I've gone through my own struggles with happiness and set out to find the truth. I asked many, including religious people, poor people, and scientists. I found out the truth through rigorous scientific studies that have been done.

If you want a shortcut to your happiness, get this cheatsheet free by clicking the button below.
Yes, I want your Happiness Secrets Cheatsheet for Free.
Here is the question of the day for you: What is the #1 lesson you learned from listening to this episode and how will you put it into action immediately? Please let me know in the comments below.

Views - 8593

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I Am Rich & Successful But Not Happy. Why? Science Answers

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Imagine hitting all your life and financial goals. Sounds great, right? But many people who get there hit a funk. Pat Flynn, an online entrepreneur, received this chilling email not long ago. He shared this email in his book Will It Fly? It's worth sharing if you think money alone is all that matters: Subject:...

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This is me and my sister so happy after we won the 200 freestyle relay at state. at this point we truly loved ourselves and felt real happiness because our work payed off.

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-money could cause people to get out of financial struggles making them more happy
-people who use their money to buy EXPERIENCES tend to be  more happy then people buying material things
-giving back to others such as charities or helping family members leads to joy with yourself
-depending on ones personality money can physically buy your happiness such as, art, cars, animals

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

There is frequent talk about how much money it takes for someone to truly be happy. Many studies have shown that happiness levels increase with income up to roughly $75,000 in annual salary. After that, there tends to be little correlation between income and happiness.

For me, I think making 1000x more than that seems like the best option in the world. But what I've found is that with more money comes a lot more stress in my life. That being said, I still like it.

The studies

These studies are looking at averages, not the experience of any particular individual. There are some people happy making $30,000 a year and others who believe they need hundreds of thousands to support their lifestyles.

These studies are not looking at how people are spending their money. There have been many studies demonstrating that people are happiest when they spend money on certain things. Therefore, money really can buy happiness if you spend it correctly.
Related: Here's How Much Money You Have to Make to Be Satisfied and Happy
Eliminating financial anxiety

The reason that money demonstratively increases happiness levels up until a point is that it takes a certain salary to feel financially secure.

Having enough money means no anxiety when shopping at the grocery store, going out to eat or paying your rent. This type of security is overlooked when you are used to it.

Remembering and being appreciative of the fact that you are free to purchase things, though, will make you happier even after it has settled in as normal amount of your finances. Fundamentally, having enough money to buy these basic necessities will no doubt increase your happiness levels.
Related: My Constant Hustle and Grind Led to a Serious Anxiety Attack -- Don't Let It Happen to You
Buy experiences.

Money can lend you the opportunity to have memorable experiences. Although you do not need a lot of money to have certain experiences, to travel the world and do so comfortably, significant amounts of money can go a long way. Therefore, spending money on experiences will give you many moments of happiness as well as positive memories to look back on.

One important point to note is that the experiences you pay for should be ones that you genuinely enjoy, not just things that society values. If you hate going to concerts, for example, then splurging to go to a show is not a good use of your money.

This is despite how many others might tell you they are jealous. Instead, you should buy experiences you truly enjoy. The examples are endless but include vacations, sporting events, nice meals, tours and shows.

Money can also enable you to learn new things. You could buy musical instrument lessons or pay for a fitness instructor to get into better shape. Picking up new skills and finding hobbies that we love will make us happier. Consequently, it is worthwhile to spend money to get more out of your hobbies and interests.
Related: 7 Reasons Why Spending Money on Experiences Makes Us Happier Than Buying Stuff
Give to charity.

Giving back to others also makes us happier. Sharing your wealth with those who need it can go a far way in others' lives. Being able to see the impact you are making is a warm feeling. Subsequently, wealth gives you a larger opportunity to give to charity and leave an impact that will leave both others and yourself better off.

I personally have gotten involved with Open to Hope and Compassionate Friends. Both these organizations help people who are suffering with grief from the loss of someone in their life. We help millions each year, and I'm proud to help. Both organizations give me a peace inside that I'm truly helping give back more from this world than I'm taking. I recommend you get involved with a chartiy and put your heart into it.

Help loved ones.

Another great way to spend money is on people you care about. Helping a sibling, parent or friend through a tough time can be a great feeling. Even being able to throw extra money into a birthday party for your child or a good friend will make you happier.

Without higher levels of wealth, it can be difficult to rationalize putting money into things like this. When you have the opportunity, though, it will make you happier.

Buy things that give you more free time.

An underrated way to spend your money is on saving yourself time. There are many tasks we do throughout the day that we do not enjoy. These differ for everyone, but examples might include doing the laundry, cooking, driving and doing household chores.

When you have more money, you can spend it on eliminating these meaningless tasks. You can pay others to do them for you or find ways to automate them with technology. Doing so will free up time so you can do more of what you love.

Some items are also valuable.

One of the largest struggles faced with buying things is that, although they are novel and exciting at first, they become normalized and you forget to appreciate them. That is why, generally, experiences tend to create higher happiness levels than items.

Of course, this is not always the case. Buying things you will be able to frequently appreciate and use often will generally make you happier.

One good example is art. If you are someone who enjoys art, then buying paintings and pictures for your house will make you happier. You will frequently see them and can take the time whenever you would like to appreciate and admire them. While I personally don't enjoy art, many around me do, like my wife and several members of my family. Find what's important to you, then make time on your schedule for it.

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Science Says Money Does Buy Happiness If You Spend It the Right Way

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. There is frequent talk about how much money it takes for someone to truly be happy. Many studies have shown that happiness levels increase with income up to roughly $75,000 in annual salary. After that, there tends to be little correlation between income and happiness.

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I did a google search for "how to be happy". On every single article I clicked on it was not about any material item. Not owning a mansion, yacht, or lambo. It was about having healthy relationships with yourself and others. About loving yourself and not comparing your self to others. Social media is a big factor for why people are not happy with themselves. Doing kind acts and giving back makes yourself feel good which causes happiness. Overall, if you love yourself, you will be happy and not loose it.

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-different people find happiness in different ways
-you can have it all yet still be sad
-happiness comes and goes
- can be affected heredity, like depression running in your genes
- some people have higher expectations for themselves, harder to attain happiness

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happy-pharrell williams
this is one of the generic songs that are happy
I remember listening to this in 5th grade and it brightened my mood
i think the purpose of this song was to make people happy

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Pharrell Williams - Happy (Official Video)

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finding happiness
money can buy happiness if u dont spend it on yourself
happiness is born from gratitude

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Everyone wants to be happy. But how, exactly, does one go about it? Here, psychologists, journalists, Buddhist monks and more gives answers that may surprise.