That is a bold title I must say and yet all of us know the secret to happiness; it is how we apply the secret that our results vary from each other. Some are naturally happier and some work hard to be happy but never seem to be any happier. Most people want to be happy and why then are we not happy? We may be thinking right now, “How can we be happy? We have our family problems, health problems, relationship problems, financial problems etc the list just goes on and on.” Now, can I have a show of hand who wants to be happy?
Scientifically, happiness has been said to be related to the Serotonin level in us. “Of the approximately 40 million brain cells, most are influenced either directly or indirectly by Serotonin. This includes brain cells related to mood, sexual desire and function, appetite, sleep, memory and learning, temperature regulation, and some social behavior,” according to Xing.com.
In so speaking, is Serotonin the answer to all our unhappiness? The answer may not be as straightforward since we cannot simply inject a dosage of Serotonin into the body. Fortunately, according to an article in PubMed Central, the author mentioned that the possible approaches to increasing Serotonin are exposing to bright light, exercise and through our diet. I would leave you to explore that further on your own while I go on to disclosing what I thought to be the secret of happiness that we all know.
I read an interesting article recently by Belinda and she mentioned, “Have you ever looked up quotes on happiness by great thinkers? If not, I recommend you don’t. It won’t make you happy. It might even depress you.” I tend to agree with her to a large extent as you can find numerous quotations on happiness. And who is right or who is wrong? It truly differs from person to person; what makes one happy may not work for another. It can certainly be confusing with so much information we have accessed to. What I would like to point out is for you to select what works for you and fuse it into your own system.
However confusing it may be, I found that most of the quotations on happiness, which I adopted for my personal usage, all point in the same direction:
“No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change.” – Barbara de Angelis
“What we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life.” – Leo Buscaglia
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” – Mahatma Gandhi
It is all about YOU! It is the being we are seeing every time we look in the mirror. The secret of happiness is really no other than ourselves! The next question to ask ourselves is, “How can I be happy?” As indirect as it may seem, to be happy is simply choosing to be happy and making conscious choices in all areas of our daily life to be happy.
One may question, “How can I choose to be happy? The situation is not always under my control; I can’t control the weather, the outcome of event or people around me etc! You are right! There is no way we can always control the external factors around us. But we definitely can control the internal factor within us. The simplest thing we could all do each day when we wake up in the morning is to decide to have a happy day! I did this morning. How about you?
Photo by oanaema
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Eating Chocolate makes me happy!
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Happiness are best shared 🙂
.-= VanillaSeven´s last blog ..Nepal EBC Trip: Macherma, 4440m =-.
” to be happy is simply choosing to be happy and making conscious choices in all areas of our daily life to be happy.”
You nailed it perfectly when you said that. Especially the making conscious choices part. I can choose to sit in my bed and be depressed, or I can choose to drag my butt OUT of bed, go for a walk, clear my head and get back to being happy!
.-= meleah rebeccah´s last blog ..Oh Hello Internet! =-.
Hi BK .. being content with our lot .. and knowing that is happiness.
Have a great week .. Hilary
.-= Hilary´s last blog ..Ever Thought of a Map as an Encyclopedia? =-.
The word “happiness” can be easily seen or read.
but theoritically, it cannot be expressed as what it said, HAPPINESS LIES WITHIN ONE SELF.
only can be said easily but never done that easily!
Another inspiring post as always. It is so true that happiness is a choice we must make for ourselves.
.-= Pam´s last blog ..You Ought To Be in Pictures! =-.
@ VanillaSeven, you couldn’t be more true; happiness are best shared. There is a saying that happiness shared is doubled and suffering shared is halved.
@ Meleah, that is certainly right. It is always our choice. Things and situation may not always be in our control, but we can definitely choose how we want to react and how we feel.
@ Hilary, yes … you said the same thing as one of my good friends – being content with our lot.
@ Lonely, it is always easy to say it with our mouth but taking action involves not only our thoughts, but also our speech and body; naturally it will be harder. However, it is always our choice as to what we want to do. Do we choose not to do it just because it is hard? Only some will choose to do it because they not only realise that they are in control of their own happiness but also action towards being happy. Some will realise that they are in control but they choose not to do anything about it; feeling sorry for themselves and bashing themselves up. The saddest is for people who don’t realise that they are in control and some of them would put the blame on everyone else for their miseries.
And some may say, “We are not in control of certain things or situations!” They are right. We are not always in control of the things and situations happening externally but we can still choose how we want to react and how we feel towards them. It is about making conscious effort in our daily life everyday. No one promise or guarantee it to be easy.
@ Pam, thank you. It is a reminder for myself that although I cannot always control what is happening externally, I can always control what is going on internally.
I wake up every morning and choose to be happy. I might lose sight of it, sometimes, at a particulary difficult moment. But I am always grateful for every precious moment…and celebrate each.
.-= Cathy Voisard´s last blog ..James Brown and Me; Harlem, N.Y. =-.
@ Cathy, indeed, we may lose sight of it sometimes especially when we are going through difficult moment. However, you have made a very good point; that we must always remember to be grateful for every precious moment and celebrate each.
I totally agree. I love how you brought it around to us. It’s in our power to decide. Sometimes easier said than done, and maybe even easier for some than for others. But happiness is ours to take! 🙂
~Tabitha
.-= Tabitha Blue´s last blog ..Four Months. =-.
What a wonderful post. Such a great reminder that we all do have a choice about how we feel and that includes “choosing” to be happy today or any day!
I choose to be happy and look at each new day with hope and inspiration because I am so grateful to be blessed to see and experience all that life has to offer. Gratitude, I think in my humble option, is a key factor in achieving happiness.
I am also thankful to have found this site. Such a lovely place to visit.
Blessings to you and keep up the good work!
Christine
.-= Christine´s last blog ..Children with Dyslexia – What Parents Need to Know =-.
@ Tabitha Blue, yes I do agree with you that at time it is easier said than done and yet we need to do it if we want to be happy. :o)
@ Christine, I agree with you that gratitude is one of the key factors in achieving happiness and this is something which is on my mind a lot recently.
Health and Happiness are related. So, have a good laugh!
.-= Dora´s last blog ..Interviewed by omy.sg! =-.
@ Dora, you are certainly right that health especially mental health is closely related to happiness.
It’s nice to see others who aren’t worn down by the world’s ugliness. I myself have been blessed, but not without searching for true happiness. I’ve come across some teachings and books that have transformed my whole outlook on life. There IS beauty in everything. You just have to open your heart just a little, pour out some kindness (consistently) and the rest snow balls. I wish sometimes I could just shout at the top of a mountain and people would listen. Unfortunately, you can only lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. Fortunately, the horse WILL eventually get thirsty.
@ Julie, I certainly agree with you that there is beauty in everything and not everyone will see it. I can relate to what you have said; sometimes I feel so helpless too and wish I have the power to just make people see or listen. But unfortunately, if they are not ready, they will not see or listen. As the saying goes, when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. I do hope it will be as soon as possible for them.