We could dive deep into philosophy and answer the question, “What is the Meaning of Happiness,” as a whole when it comes to the Human Race, but we are not going to do that.

Instead I am going to ask you, my reader, to find your own Happiness Meaning and even better, I am going to help you do it. We are going to look at Happiness through many lenses until we find the Happiness You Are Looking For!

Are You Searching for the Meaning of Happiness?

There is not a lot of research out there about happiness. Well, not as much as there is about being unhappy, comparably. Even though many of the earliest recorded philosophers spoke about the importance of happiness, the term “Positive Psychology” wasn’t coined until the 1950’s by psychologist Abraham Maslow.

It still wasn’t until the late 1980s when the Pioneer of The Science of Happiness, Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi, started experimenting to answer the question, “What Makes Happy People Happy?”

According to the Cambridge dictionary, “Happiness is the feeling of being pleased or happy.” To me personally…this definition seems very vague, but there is probably a good reason for this.

The Question is… Happiness Meaning What to You?!

See, I feel the definition for happiness is plain and vague because the feeling of happiness is based from each individual personal experience. Each person alive in the world will have a different opinion of what happiness means to him or her.

So…

In order to find out what the TRUE meaning of Happiness is, you must ask yourself “what makes you happy.” The great thing is, we all know what makes us happy. The sad thing is many of us don’t know how to stay happy.

What is the Meaning of Happiness?

As we have pointed out in this post, the meaning of happiness, when it comes to dictionaries at least, have very vague definitions. The definitions are vague because happiness is different for each person and hard to pin point.

See, some people are happiest in the sunshine and some are happier when it rains. Some people are happy eating spinach and others would like a burger and that makes him or her happy. See, happiness is truly ambiguous (or open to more than one interpretation) because it can have a double meaning.

Isn’t it crazy that the answer to the question, “What is the Meaning of Happiness?,” is to ask, “What is Your Personal Happiness Meaning?”

How to Discover Your Own Happiness Meaning

There are many ways to find out what makes you happy, but the first way is to ask yourself. That’s right, just grab something to write with and on, look at yourself in the mirror, and ask yourself, “What makes me happy?”

Next, follow these few steps:

• Just write down one thing at first and put a dash after it. Think about what you wrote down for at least a couple minutes. Reflect on why this thing makes you happy.
• After the dash next to the thing you wrote down, write why it makes you feel happy.
• Do these same few steps with two more things that make you happy.

I did this exercise many years ago. I did it every day for a week or two. I just sit in front of the mirror once a day with my notebook and wrote down everything that came to mind after I asked the question.

I was able to notice a pattern in the things I wrote down that actually surprised me. I always thought I was pretty much in control of my own happiness. I understood that happiness was my choice and it was up to me if I was happy or not.

This exercise showed me that even though I knew all of this, I was still basing my happiness, or giving myself permission to feel happiness, on people and things outside of my control. I was living and working for future happiness!

It truly opened up my eyes and lead me on the quest for happiness that you are reading about right now.

Notice that just by reflecting on these things for a few minutes makes you feel happiness?

That is because these things are “Anchors” you have created throughout your lifetime.

An Anchor is something we created around a memory. These anchors help us remember certain parts of life and the emotions we experienced at that moment in time.

Certain songs are anchors that can trigger good and not-so-good memories. Smells and even flavors can do the same. We can even create new anchors on purpose to help trigger good memories.

The truth is we all create anchors either on purpose or by accident all the time. If you can take control of your anchors, then you can take control of your emotions with more ease.

Why Should We Seek Out the Meaning of Happiness?

We have learned through science over the years that Voltaire is correct that being happy can be good for your health. There has been so much research done on how negative emotions and attitudes can have a terrible impact on our health.

Good thing science is finally starting to focus on how positive emotions affect our health!

When we become stressed or inflicted with anxiety, the best advice anyone can be given is to relax and take inventory of how you feel about your life up to where you are at now.

Try this for yourself any time you feel stressed or anxious:

1. Stop and take a break. Just stop and focus on your breathing for a few seconds. Just feel your lungs fill with air and feel your lungs collapse as you exhale.
2. Think about where you are. Just think real quick about the actions you took that got your where you are at that moment in life.
3. Decide how you feel. Now ask yourself how you feel about the situation you are in. Do you want to be here?
4. Take an action step. Now, figure out what you can do to change this situation if you want to change it.

This exercise is great because it gives you moment to relax and collect your thoughts before you become more stressed.

Feel free to check out this earlier post on why happiness is important for our health by clicking this link.

In Conclusion to What is the Meaning of Happiness

No one can tell you how to be happy. No one can tell you what makes you happy. Only you truly know what brings a smile to your face or lifts your spirits to the point of enlightenment. It’s all up to you.

The true question, the only question really, is what is your happiness meaning? What do you personally accept as something to be happy about?

This may seem like happiness is hard to understand, but the truth is just the opposite. The meaning of happiness is easy for all of us to find.

We don’t need to go too far to find it, it can never be hidden from us, and only momentarily happiness can be taken away because we all carry our own happiness inside of us.

==>I would love to hear your experiences, questions, and thoughts about this subject, so please feel free to leave a comment below. I normally respond within 24 hours. Feel free to share this information with anyone you think will benefit from it. Talk with you later, Greg<==