Thursday, November 11, 2010

H for Happiness

Lately I have been feeling a bit jaded and uninterested in everything.I can't for the life of me figure out why I am not happier than what I am right now.I have everything going for me, a lovely husband, great friends, financial independence, a job I like on most days, my parents, my mental faculties all intact (touchwood) , then what is it that is making me question whether I am happy or not!.

This led me to thinking whether we can actively and conscioulsy make ourselves happy.I am still trying to figure out that one.The start to this is to find out what does make me happy and that is something that I need to sit and ponder about.I hope I make some headway and start appreciating my life more.

What do you do to feel happier?What are the road blocks to your happiness?Are you thankful for whatever life has offered you, yet still mildly discontented?Is thankfulness for life's gifts, the same as happiness?

I would love to hear from whoever reads this and get some perspective.

Pensive
Sumi

I am participating in Jenny Matlock's Alphabet thursday.The letter this time is H and H for happiness is my entry.
Jenny Matlock

19 comments:

  1. I think the only things that would make you happy only being grateful and thankful for what you have right now.

    Don't worry..be happy and be blessed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gratitude is not the same as happiness. But happiness doesn't have to mean manic and delirious peak experience either. One can feel the gentle pleasure of beautiful sunset or the hug of a child. A general feeling of uneasiness may mean we need/want/or are pushed/pulled to a change, a transition. It's up to ourselves to recognize what that change could/would be. But consider too that happiness is not a general feeling but a momentary one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Interesting post, very thought provoking. I will have to ponder some more. My first reaction is we can definitely choose to view things positively, and actively seek to find the up side of life. I think being proactive is key to being happy.

    I also think that in addition to all the things you listed an essential ingredient to being happy is finding a spiritual core or belief system, acknowledging the divine and allowing yourself to become a part of something bigger than yourself lends an intangible sense of peace that truly leads to happiness, at least it has for me.

    This can take a while, especially if you're starting from scratch. My quick fix when I am feeling the way you describe is to find someone I can be of service to. I find when I search for a need I can fill to help another person be happier, my own life is blessed and enriched. Sometimes it's just the perspective on how truly blessed you are that serving those truly in need gives. Sometimes the ones we think we are serving end up teaching us more than anticipated.

    Good luck! And I hope you find happiness...I'll be watching for a follow up post on what you do to find what works for you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. happiness does seem to be a very elusive idea! i have been doing a lot exploring into this same issue! i decided to start counting my blessings on a regular basis and it have helped! i have some tools i share on my blog that have been helpful to me... stop by and see if anything helps.... blessings to you!...s....

    ReplyDelete
  5. One should never become satisfied. That is a dangerous place to be. Dissatisfaction is a nature of life. You should be happy that you have these dissatisfactions to make you look to become happier. The challenge will go on throughout your life. And the moment you have no dissatisfaction you are dead.

    Thanks for visiting my blog. Looking forward to visiting here more often.

    ReplyDelete
  6. @all: Thanks for visiting.
    @Amiko:Thanks for following.I will definitely return the favour.
    @Sarah : I sure will visit your blog and check out the tool.
    @Jamie: Thanks for taking the time to read and providing such well thought out comment.
    @Shiju:Thanks for following and I also believed in what you are saying but I am wondering if that is a myth since you cannot always be dissastisfied.

    ReplyDelete
  7. happiness is important to all,
    you deserve happiness.
    cute take on h.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Very thought provoking post ...
    think back to your happiest times and see what you were doing then ... buy yourself a little treat "just because" ... visit somewhere lovely ... listen to beautiful music ...

    ReplyDelete
  9. I get the blues this time of year! I think it's the prospect of winter and the shorter days...I am a sunshine kind of girl, and the winter depresses me...

    Hang in there and try to think about the good things in your life and the things you are thankful for this month..

    and if all else fails, wine helps me!

    lol...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh so true!! Happiness is so so important!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Every day when i wake up ... i think of how lucky I am, just to wake up ... to get another day to experience life ... that makes me happy.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The satisfying moments in life can be termed as short lived joy. Do you call it happiness? What do you say?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Happiness to me means contentment. If, at the end of the day, I am contented, then I am happy.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Sumi, it does seem like fairly often ennui kind of grabs me and makes me feel a bit dissatisfied no matter how well my life is going.

    For me, I find that times like that are the ones that guide me to turn outward...to donate time to a nursing home, to address cards to shut ins, to work at a food bank for the day. It is only when I turn farther outward and give of myself and my own personal good fortune that happiness really finds me.

    I don't know if that helps at all, but you asked for honesty...and that's mine.

    Thanks for linking this week to Alphabe-Thursday.

    I enjoyed this thought-provoking link.

    A+

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sumi---don't have much enlightenment to share here. You know I have my ups and downs---I have just learnt to accept thpose traits in myself. Hopefully it was just ennui you were facing and have snapped out of it. Sometimes a change, a good book, a tear jerker (yes a good cry helps!) will work wonders.....stretch your boundaries, try something new. That new recipe. That new project.

    Hope you're doing good!

    xo,
    G

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Sumi...came here via GB's blog. Ok so let me bring a slightly "older" perspective to this. When I was younger, say 20's, 30's...there were days when I was deliriously over the moon happy or horribly sad for whatever reason. Maybe it was a fight, or someone forgot my birthday, or someone remembered and gave me something very thoughtul...you know sort of superficial things like that! So at any given time I was either terribly happy or horribly sad, no happy medium(no pun intended). But now, in my late 40's I am so content with life, a sort of peaceful serene happiness that is always there with me. I have a great family, I love my hobbies, I love my house and my garden and my dogs. Sure I have crappy days when I may have a headache or constant irritating interruptions, or things go wrong all day...but the most important thing is to distinguish between irritation and unhappiness. We should not confuse the two. As Buddha said "Happiness is a state of mind we can summon at any time, and it needs to be refreshed. But rather than trying to refresh it by seeking external stimuli, we may find that it is there, just for the summoning."
    Hang in there girl!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks Gagan and Kamini.Those were very helpful messages.

    Kamini : I hope with age I also become mellow.Right now doesn't seem like it and I am not far behind being in my 40s either so.. praying hard for wisdom and serenity.;-)

    Thanks for visiting.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting.Your comments make my day!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...