What makes you happy?

1. 79

   misslong123posted 9 years ago

   What makes you happy?
   
   Although perhaps a cheesy question, if you search for it online you are likely to find "having a baby" or "getting married" but little else. These can be things that currently make you happy, things you think will make you happy one day if you get them, wishes/dreams, or even resolutions/goals? I spent so much of my life only focusing on one thing - meeting Mr. Right. Now that I have, I'm curious what floats other peoples boats even if it might not be mine.

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   KU37posted 9 years ago

   Being focused on a challenging task and losing myself in it makes me happy.  Also, having the sense that I'm making some kind of contribution.  This is an idea that has been described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

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      misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I really like that! I am that way too now that I think about it. I just finished calculating some complex bills/EOBs for dental and I almost gave up! But I'm done now and feel excited I was able to conquer that mess! It is quite rewarding. Thanks!

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      KU37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Below mastergreen mentioned music.  It sounds like he might be creative.  Personally, I don't make music, but just enjoying music makes me happy.  It's something that has stayed with me through the many twists and turns that life has thrown my way.

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   Tusitala Tomposted 9 years ago

   There are many different degrees of happiness, e.g. satisfaction, contentment, happiness and - the greatest of all and not dependent upon any outside-of-our own bodies experience, is joy.   Joy, of course being a part of what we really are:  Love, Joy, Compassion and Infinite understanding-  the God Part of what each of us is.
   
   Happiness is, as has been mentioned many times by many writers who have delved deeply into the subject, a 'by product.'   The moment it is realized and considered by the mind it has already passed its maximum joyousness, if I might put it that way.   So happiness could be considered the losing of oneself (losing the ego- self's focus) in a task we find pleasant to the point where we are no longer concerned with self but rather focused on the task itself.

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      misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Great answer and very much well thought out. That's a lot to wrap your head around but I see the potential benefit of understanding it.

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   billybucposted 9 years ago

   Love!  Do you need more to that answer?  I don't think so.

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      misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Of course my favorite word in the English language. When you love something, it usually brings you joy.

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   Sara Jofreposted 9 years ago

   Having no worries makes me happy. So I would say to love and be loved, to be well and see the loved ones well. To have enough not to worry and to be able to do those "little things" that cheer our days... I would be happy if could travel with my loved ones almost non stop

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      misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I agree. Don't worry. Be happy. A simple yet often hard to achieve motto.

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   Rod Marsdenposted 9 years ago

   Success makes me happy even if it is only a small success. Success is getting published and thus having readers. Success is being part of a family that cares for one another thanks in part to you.
   
   For me Ms. Right is somewhere in my future or she is not likely to appear at all. Best just to get on with life and not worry about that. It might make me very happy to find Ms. Right but I won't really know that until I do. I have met enough Ms. Wrongs in my life.
   
   I am working on a novel at present. It is the most daring novel I have ever put together and I will be happy when it is out there.
   
   A decade from now I want a small cottage not far from a river where I can occasionally put a line in the water with the hope of catching a fish. This will make me happy. I need to get away from the crush of an increasing population that is getting out of control thanks to a lax government. Living in retirement in a shoe box thanks to immigration would be the pits. I know there is money to be made in real estate and the government is greedy but still...Why can't I have my little cottage near a river when I retire? My thoughts at any rate.

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      misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I love it! Especially the part about Ms. Wrongs. That's a new one. But I wasted so much time on the wrong men and was so picky I didn't give great guys a chance! My hubby was the type I wouldn't give a chance to. It was timing n luck that I found luv

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      Rod Marsdenposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I am glad you were successful in the end misslong.

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7. 81

   gmwilliamsposted 9 years ago

   
   
   Being CREATIVE and continuously being engaged in the process of living.   Living a life beyond mere existence and survival; in essence, THRIVING.  Having luxuries and never having to worry about finances nor the rudiments.  Having an excellent functioning mind and an acute intellect.   Being my own person and OWNING my destiny.  BEING and LIVING are my key components to happiness.

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      misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Having luxuries would be awesome but I think one of the happiest times was when I was the poorest in my life. I loved my life because it was organized and planned. It was simple and easy. There was no envy because we had no choice. We made $1k/mo!!

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   connorjposted 9 years ago

   
   
   I have contemplated this significantly; although, it may indeed seem to be a simple answer to me simplicity is forged from complexity. If one is loved and simultaneously loves then how can one not be happy. Keep in mind, I am not texting about erotic love, rather agape love.

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      misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I am incredibly impressed. I haven't known any one in decades who knew what agape love was. To me, it is love beyond something I can explain to others and I really only see it as the way God must love us. Simple and direct but impressive! Thanks!

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      connorjposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Credit goes to my Better-Half for allowing me to witness this and learn...

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      KU37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I'm going to have to google agape porn.  (sorry).

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9. 83

   peachpurpleposted 9 years ago

   eating chocolates and ice cream makes me happy, sweet cravings food makes me happy when i am down

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   1. 69

      Rod Marsdenposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Careful when it comes to the sugar trail. Sugar can lift you up momentarily and then drop you. It can also make you thirsty. The Coca Cola company relies on this for profit. Load up products with plenty of sugar and watch people drink and drink and..

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      misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Well my hubby works for Coke so I gotta root for that company. Lol. Food used to make me happy. Now it's a hassle. I also used to love bubble baths before I became a housewife w lil privacy! Lol. I'm sure I could make it wk tho. Lol

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   3. 69

      Rod Marsdenposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Lots of people work for Coca Cola. It is one if not the most successful company on the planet. It has over the last decade or so branched out into bottled water and juice.

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10. 84

    liesl5858posted 9 years ago

    Good health and having a nice family makes me happy. I like to be healthy and cheerful most of the time. Of course there are times when I am down but that is normal for everyone. I just want to smile and say I am happy rather than carry the whole world on my shoulders and be miserable.

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       misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       I do not have good health but my husband and I have pressed on trying to get thru the tough times. Although we get super frustrated we don't take it out on each other. It can often lead me to be sad, but we troubleshoot until we feel more positive!

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       liesl5858posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       I am sorry Miss Long I did not know you are not well. Hope you get better soon.

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    mastergreenposted 9 years ago

    For me its music, but Psychologists say that you will only find happiness if you set a target for yourself and then achieve it. Nothing else will give you that satisfaction, that high and that happiness. So maybe you should get out and grab something good for you. Stop comparing yourself with people all the time, and remind yourself that there is always a purpose. You might not know it yet, but it all makes sense later. So happiness is achievable, but only if you are ready to make yourself go out there and get it. All you need is a challenge. That's it.

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       misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       I agree that challenges can be very satisfying! My husband always challenges me to learn more advanced knitting stitches. Today I learned one that was incredibly hard and I am still smiling at my accomplishment.

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       mastergreenposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       ok all the best to you.

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12. 0

    JThomp42posted 9 years ago

    Seeing the ones I love truly happy. This is happiness for me.

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       misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       That is very humble and great! I know at one point in my life I lost a boyfriend I loved a lot and I thought to myself (over time) all I care about is that in the end he is happy even if we are not together. Over time, he was and I moved on.

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       JThomp42posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you Miss Long.

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    erorantesposted 9 years ago

    I feel happy. When,  I have no pain, and I feel energetic. My good health is important for me. If I feel good. I function right , but if I get sick. I feel terrible. Then, other things that makes me happy. I love to eat. I love to dance. I love  to write. I love people in my way. If people are doing good. I get happy. If I  see they are not doing good. I do not like it. I try to help with an advice. If they ask.

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    Anika Diariesposted 9 years ago

    Happiness for me is a great meal at the end of the day. Be it authentic Indian food cooked by my mom or just a quickly tossed up pasta, I forget all the worries at the dinner table. It might be just food for some but for me, food is my life.

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15. 73

    manatita44posted 9 years ago

    Misslong,
    
    Your findings on line does not surprise me and indeed most, perhaps. This is where we are in our current level of evolution. You speak of temporary happiness and the Buddha is quoted as saying that all things are transient and that the Real is the only happiness. So there is a conflict here.
    
    What makes me happy? Frankly with an inner faith and experience in Something Higher, the dichotomy disappears and the wife gives happiness, children, money ...  also.
    
    All that is needed is to live a God-centred life. If we use these things as God's instruments and offer the results of our actions to the Divine, then all will be well.
    
    So I strive to love God, serve mankind and ever so often, I feel the Light of the Soul as it permeates my actions. This encourages me in the belief that I am on the right Path, and gives me a kind of happiness, which allows me to be content while pursuing the Higher Goal of merging into or communion with the Absolute Truth. Hope this helps. In Love and Light.

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    Venus Riveraposted 9 years ago

    I think true happiness is how you perceive it. I'm happy to be alive and enjoy spending quality time with family and friends.

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    Nigham AFZALposted 9 years ago

    Umm, little things makes me very happy...like a happy ending book. To make other people smile or laugh. To spend time with my family and friends. To receive sincere admiration or appreciation on my work. And yeah eating junk food too...
    May be all those things which're childish and to little to notice makes me happy. 

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    a7275998218posted 9 years ago

    Its soon simple ...being happy or sad depends on us it depends that how we are thinking on a particular topic or thing ...if we r positive that will make us happy bt if we r taking it in a negative way it will make us sad

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       misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       I like that. Positivity breeds happiness.

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