Happiness Information

Giving Attention To Happiness


When I left England in 2000 there did not seem to be much happiness around. People in modern western society tend to be self focused to the extreme, prone to criticise rather than support or applaud, and with little time or inclination to devote to others. Relationships can be a battleground rather than a haven of mutual support. Thinking about it now, I did not know anyone who I could say was really happy. I was acquainted with a few who might have been in a state of happiness, but I did not know them well enough to be sure.

I think by nature I am a basically happy person, but modern life and attitudes can have a way of pummeling that out of you. When you are surrounded by unhappy, discontented people who are devoted to chasing the shadows of pure materialism, then it is going to affect you. People lose touch with what happiness is, and may even be dismissive if they sense that someone might actually be happy.

Happiness is no longer a natural state of being in Western society, and to those who have lost touch with what happiness is, a process of re-education may be needed. Here are a few things that may help you in that process:

1. Give time and focus to the things in your life that can make you happy; how can you be happy if you do not know what will make you happy?

2. Give time and attention to making those around you happy. If any of them are habitually self pitying and miserable, with no good reason, then maybe they should not have a place in your world.

3. Give time and attention to eliminating those elements of your life that are dragging you into the unhappiness mire. Pinpoint them, and then set about methodically either removing them or diminishing their influence.

4. Vow never to be jealous. If you see somebody else who seems happy and elated, feed positively off that happiness aura, and do not mutter such negative responses as "oh, it's alright for her, she doesn't have my problems." Reprimand yourself if ever you feel a twinge of jealousy.

5. If you find an element of your life that brings you happiness, remind yourself about it regularly. Feed it, let it grow. Never, ever take it for granted. Give the happiness itself attention, and it will burrow more deeply into your being.

I will now test you on number 4. I am very happy, and have been for a few years now. I have all I need of a non-material nature: a wonderful wife; a beautiful and joyous 17 month old daughter; the ability to work online from home doing as I please; life on a magnificent tropical island that fulfils a childhood dream; and living amongst people of a generally happy disposition. All those things come together to give me as close to a perfect life I could have dared thought possible.

I say that not to arouse envy, but to get you to think: happiness is still possible, and should be celebrated, whoever the one who has the benefit. If you are not already doing so, you could soon be the one spreading that aura of happiness; but it needs your attention, piece by piece.

Roy Thomsitt is owner and part author of http://www.routes-to-self-improvement.com


MORE RESOURCES:

guardian.co.uk

Twitter hacker says admin password was 'happiness'
Los Angeles Times, CA - 3 hours ago
Happiness. The hack victim, a Twitter staffer who goes by the name Crystal on the social network, used that nine-letter word as the password for her account ...
Twitter Hacker Says Admin Password Was 'Happiness' Wired News
Simple, brute-force dictionary attack was used on Twitter Neoseeker
Password guessing attack exposed in Twitter pwn Register
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Ten Ways To Be Happier Now
Forbes, NY - 4 hours ago
It might seem that happiness is in short supply these days. Still-slumping housing prices, bleak consumer spending, high unemployment and a recession are ...


Metro

Twitter 'happiness' hack exposed Britney
Metro, UK - 15 hours ago
... but then discovered she was a staff member called Crystal with access to all profiles and passwords. Her simple password, Happiness, was easy to crack.


The Sun

Ofsted rates children's happiness
The Press Association - 10 hours ago
The data gives each local authority a score on five different measures - the emotional health of children (happiness), bullying, participation in "positive" ...
Inner London teenagers least likely to take drugs guardian.co.uk
Half of all pupils are bully victims The Sun
Region's children happiest in country, data shows Fleetwood Today
guardian.co.uk
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Bihar government jobs bringing happiness but with pain
Indian Muslims, CA - 13 hours ago
By Abdul Wahid Azad, During the last few years some positive changes took place in the Indian province of Bihar which was earlier dubbed as BIMARU state of ...


It's Never Too Late: Happiness Now!
Examiner.com - 16 hours ago
OK So sometime in December I was minding my own business and I get this email that I missed because I was very busy minding my own business but actually the ...


It's Nothing but Happiness For Kate and Len
PopSugar.com, CA - Jan 6, 2009
Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman traveled with Lily from London to LA over the weekend and then hit the streets for some grocery shopping yesterday. ...


Happiness is ...
Enid News & Eagle, OK - 21 hours ago
Ask each one their definition of happiness and you would likely get 6.7 billion different answers. Some people say being rich would make them happy, ...


Happiness in hockey
Morgan Hill Times, CA - Jan 5, 2009
At the Sharks Ice in San Jose, a hodgepodge group of men sporting full hockey pads, carrying sticks and wearing face masks emerges from the rink-side locker ...


One life to live, so choose happiness
Edmond Sun, OK - 22 hours ago
Happiness is a choice. Obviously, we can’t choose all of our circumstances. I have a friend who is battling breast cancer and is currently in the midst of ...

Happiness - Google News

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