I read this Essay of Definition about Happiness in this site: http://www.scholaradvisor.com/essay-examples/definition-essay-happiness/
Definition Essay: Happiness
Happiness. It is not measurable, profitable, nor tradable.
Yet, above all else in the world, it is what people seek. They want to have
happiness, and want to know they have a lot of it. But happiness, like air or
water, is a hard thing to grasp in one’s hand. It is intangible. So how does
one know if they have it? Is it just a feeling? And if someone does not feel
happy, how can they go about achieving that feeling?
Happiness is not measured by material wealth. A new car or
television, a waterskiing boat or a three-level house does not equate to joyful
feelings. They are status symbols, surely, and ones that make others assume a
person is happy, but they do not guarantee a happy life. The clichéd phrase,
“money can’t buy happiness,” is heard often… because it is true. People who
have wealth can be unhappy, just as the poor can be living on cloud nine.
Possessions can be gained and lost, and with that comes fear. And fear rarely
leads to happiness.
So if it isn’t ‘stuff’ that achieves happiness, then what
can? Well, goals can. People need to have a sense of purpose. It is no
coincidence that Peanuts creator Charles Schultz died a week after ending his
famous comic strip. Without a purpose, he was lost. But people that have a
sense of purpose in their life often have a feeling of satisfaction about them.
They sense they were put on this planet for a reason. To each person, this
purpose can be different. Maybe they were meant to teach. Maybe they were meant
to mother. Maybe they were meant to learn. And goals can be small things, like
taking an extra moment each day to breathe. But having progress in life, a
feeling of forward motion, can make people feel happy.
So people can be happy if they have something to strive for
and something to laugh about. But is that it? Can people with goals and a sense
of humor still be unhappy? Well, yes. After all, the final key to happiness is
the decision to actually be happy. Human nature can see negative energy
anywhere. People can fixate on problems instead of solutions. So at the end of
the day, “happiness depends upon ourselves.” (Aristotle). As Lincoln said,
“Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
Being happy with who you are and what you have, is a
decision that has to be consciously made. Goals can help lead to happiness.
Finding laughter in life is important. But at the end of the day, a person
needs to make a choice about happiness. They need to agree they want it,
deserve it, and have it.
This essay really made me realize that there is plenty of things that can make you happy and not just material things will make you happy
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