We live in a world where the pursuit of happiness is most people’s highest endeavour. Everyone wants to feel good, to have positive emotions, and to avoid negative ones.
Studies on the subject of happiness have found that:
- Most people have a set range of happiness that they will return to even after good or bad things happen to them.
- Most external circumstances don’t have a long-lasting impact on personal happiness – including matters such as money, marriage, health, or education.
What makes the biggest difference in an individual’s level of happiness is a number of voluntary actions that they can take … including …
- Gratitude – being thankful for the people and things in your life
- Forgiveness – learning to let go and release the hurts and regrets of the past.
- Serving – doing something for the benefit of another person
- Hope – having a future that excites you and is worth looking forward to
How is your happiness level? Are you waiting for someone or something to make you happy? It’s probably not going to happen. You are probably about as happy as you ever will be … unless you take some actions to change it.
Happiness – think about it.
I have learnt that happiness is as much about attitude as it is about circumstances.
Hi Mark,
thanks for this topic. I am interested in the studies of happiness you mentioned above. Would you be able to recommend any further reading?
Cheers,
Angina
Hi Mark,
Thank you for your wise encouraging articles. Really enjoy reading them.
How true. Happiness does not depend upon a person or things. Happiness does not come from getting but by giving. We are in control of our feelings. We can choose to be happy or not. Happiness can be found in the little things like watching a bird in your garden, or the miracle of a new baby, or seeing a beautiful sunrise/sunset, giving a gift, etc. Stop and smell the beautiful roses sometimes and see how happy you feel. God made a beautiful world for us to enjoy and by sharing His joy with others causes our happiness. HAPPINESS is an outward expression but J.O.Y. comes from within which means Jesus Others You.
I love this quote: “God has given us two hands:- one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for giving.”
— Billy Graham
God has also given us two ears and one mouth, so that we would listen more and talk less 😉
Hi Angina
A Jewish psycologist by the name of Martin Seligman has written an interesting book called ‘Authentic Happiness’. He has some interesting research, though I wouldn’t agree with all of his conclusions.
Ps. Happiness comes from knowing Jesus with God’s gracious incredible love for us, along with the confidence we have in who we are in Christ. Nothing on earth equals to this kind of happiness 🙂