Your Happiness Counts

Great question there at the bottom I think. Will you let yourself be happy?

For some the question pops up, "What is happy?". Is it making a lot of money? Is it having the coolest new gadget every day? Is it having the best looking boy/girlfriend? Maybe the its the admiration of millions? Or the cold hate of everyone? Or could it be even simpler than that?

To me being happy is nothing more than accepting myself for who I am. Accepting that I make mistakes, and I can live with that. Accepting that no one in life is perfect. That we are all trying to live life as best we can. This is what it means to be human.

I might not know exactly how things are going to turn out, but I'm going to continue working towards my goals no matter what, and whatever happens I will accept the outcome.

My happiness does not come from stuff or people outside of me, it comes from within. Its nice to have others in my life to share it with, however if I can't accept myself as I am, how can I ever accept life as it is?

Couldn’t agree more! I would also like to add that it takes guts to be happy. It requires that we accept responsibility for our well-being, and that can be a scary thing for many people.
.-= The Emotion Machine´s last blog ..How To Do A True Act Of Kindness =-.

@Nick, there's actually quite a lot of work being done now on the measurable nature of happiness. Sonia Lyobomirsky has a good and accessible review of the best research, it's called _The How of Happiness_.

I've started much more intentionally adding in "happiness goals" to my business and my life, and so far I'm enjoying the benefits! It's a tricky thing, easy to forget.
.-= Sonia Simone´s last blog ..What Makes Marketing Hard? =-.

Hi,
Interesting thoughts. I completely agree. However I think,

happiness is still a tricky word. I had a shot at trying to define it

in a more "scientific" or "objective" way, despite it being a

subjective feeeling: What is happiness?
I would love to hear your thoughts! Thank you, Nick

This post could have easily been on my blog. I'm actually a little jealous. ;) I wish that I would have written for my blog.

What you say is true. We make too many decisions because we think we have to, not because we want to. We need to make decisions that will meet our needs, not just appease other people.
.-= Karl Staib - Work Happy Now´s last blog ..Hard, Fun and Beautiful – Team Work Edition =-.

Charlie, you're so right. There's a precedence that gets applied to setting priorities and choosing courses of action, and happiness is barely even on the list. Choosing something that doesn't maximize the financial outcome or meet the expectations that others have of you because makes you happy is often labeled as selfishness. Your happiness absolutely deserves a place at the table when selecting alternatives, regardless of what others may say, well meaning or not.

Does it trump all other considerations? No, of course not. But it deserves far more weight than it's usually given.

Thanks for a great reminder to watch out for that undervaluation tendency.
.-= Mike Stankavich´s last blog ..How to Securely Access Your Home or Small Biz Network From Anywhere in the World (Part 1) =-.

Ah, Charlie, awesome questions as ever. I don't know whether it's an oldest-child thing or a female thing, but I often find myself trying to do stuff just to make other people happy. Or feeling that my own happiness is unimportant and that achieving something in the eyes of the world is what happens.

I'm getting a saner, more balanced view on this one; partly reading some great bloggers (like your wonderful self) and partly through some prayer and reflection.

Thanks for the often-needed reminder, though!
.-= Ali Hale´s last blog ..2009: Adventures, Ventures and Lessons Learnt =-.

Guilty! I need to print this out and post it on the wall.

For others who found themselves nodding along, you might also find relief in this Inc Magazine article about "Impostor Syndrome." I'll be writing about this as well, but the short version is that successful people tend to discount their successes, choosing to suffer and work rather than revel and be happy.

For me your piece and this one are related; both help put things in perspective.

Thanks!
.-= Jason Cohen´s last blog ..Don't write a business plan =-.

Hi Charlie.

I agree with this. I make sure I do the things that are in line with where happiness resides for me. It makes a big difference in how I am able to do things. If I see my energy low or something like that, I know to not even try for big action at that time, because it is like pushing harder on the gas pedal when the car is out of gas. The gas has to be put back in first.

Happiness is something we have to use when it is there, because it is like potential energy we can convert to kinetic energy.

It sure does count.
.-= Armen Shirvanian´s last blog ..You Don’t Know What Works Until You Fully Try =-.