‘Happiness’ is one of the most important aspects of life; be it personal, professional or social. Happy people always achieve more and keep other people around them also happy. Happy people are always full of glow and energy. People become envious to happy people and call them ‘Lucky’. In this article we will deal with all the aspects of ‘Happiness’.

Meaning of ‘Happiness’
‘Happiness’ is an emotional feeling of joy, satisfaction, contentment and fulfillment. ‘Happiness’ involves positive emotions and satisfaction. It is an overall positive feeling with warmth. Sometimes ‘happiness’ is also referred to be ‘Subjective Well Being’ (SWB) and the reason behind the same is that, in the same situation one person can be happy while the other person remains unhappy. The person who feels happy focuses more on the positive aspects of things while managing the negative aspects; whereas the person who feels unhappy focuses more on the negative aspects of things, ignoring the positive ones.

Happy people always keep smiling which makes them attractive for conversation and bonding. From a time perspective ‘Happiness’ is a medium - long term phenomenon. ‘Happiness’ is a journey and not the end. ‘Happiness’ is a path that leads to a lot of success.

We must remember that ‘happiness’ at the cost of someone else’s ‘happiness’ does not qualify in the definition of ‘happiness’.

Components of ‘Happiness’
Two main components of ‘happiness’ are as under:-

✈ Focused on positive emotions Everyone experiences both positive and negative emotions, feelings and moods. ‘Happiness’ is generally linked to experiencing more positive feelings than negative ones. It is most often associated with doing what feels good, self-care, fulfilling desires, experiencing enjoyment etc.

✈ Life satisfaction This relates to how satisfied you feel with different areas of your life including your relationships, work, achievements and other things that you have / possess. It is an intense feeling of satisfaction in what one has or owns rather than what others have or own. Happy people always enjoy what they have.

Type of ‘happiness’
There are many different types of ‘happiness’ that one can attain; joy, excitement, gratitude, pride, optimism, contentment, and love, to name a few. Each person has something unique that makes them happy. Let us understand these terms.

✈ Joy
A brief feeling of fulfillment of a desire at the present moment is known as ‘Joy’.

✈ Excitement
A happy feeling that involves looking forward to something, which you have been waiting for with positive anticipation.

✈ Gratitude
A positive emotion that involves being thankful and appreciative of a person or a thing that has been of immense value or use.

✈ Pride
A feeling of satisfaction in something that one has accomplished.

✈ Optimism
This is a way of looking at life with upbeat outlook.

✈ Contentment
This type of ‘happiness’ involves a sense of satisfaction in what one has or achieved.

✈ Love
An intense emotional feeling of affection for someone.

Levels of ‘Happiness’
In terms of sustainability and longevity ‘happiness’ can be classified in below levels:-

1. Pleasure
‘Happiness’ from immediate gratification. This form of ‘happiness’ is relatively short-lived and shallow.

2. Passion
‘Happiness’ achieved through one’s passion and achievement. Passion is needed to gain self-confidence. However, if one gets stuck at next level, one may become obsessed with winning so much that he / she feels the need to keep others down which may lead to negativity. This type of ‘happiness’ is not enduring.

3. Purpose
‘Happiness’ from making positive contributions to the lives of other people. It is much deeper and longer-lasting as you make a positive difference to others.

4. Ultimate good
‘Happiness’ from achieving fulfillment in the pursuit of truth, beauty, love and goodness in themselves and in helping others. It is ever lasting.

Signs of ‘Happiness’
While the perception of ‘happiness’ may be different from one person to the next, however there are some key signs that depict ‘happiness’ of the person as under:-

✈ Feeling like you are living the life you wanted ✈ Going with the flow and willingness to take life as it comes ✈ Feeling that the conditions of your life are good ✈ Enjoying healthy relationships with other people ✈ Feeling that you have accomplished (or will accomplish) what you want in life ✈ Feeling satisfied with your life ✈ Feeling positive more than negative ✈ Being open to new ideas and experiences ✈ Practicing self-care and treating yourself with kindness and compassion ✈ Experiencing gratitude ✈ Feeling that you are living life with a sense of meaning and purpose ✈ Wanting to share your ‘happiness’ and joy with others

Happy people still feel the whole range of human emotions anger, frustration, boredom, loneliness, and even sadness from time to time. But even when faced with discomfort, they have an underlying sense of optimism that things will get better, that they can deal with what is happening and they will be able to feel happy again.

Importance of ‘Happiness’
Feeling of ‘happiness’ is key to success. There are enormous benefits of ‘happiness’ and the list can be endless. However, the following are some of the key benefits of ‘happiness’:-

✈ ‘Happiness’ is always associated with positive emotions. Positive emotions increase the flow of blood and supply more oxygen to our body, resulting in higher energy levels. ✈ ‘Happiness’ promotes better physical and mental health and overall longevity. ✈ ‘Happiness’ increases immunity and reduces the chances of sickness. ✈ ‘Happiness’ increases productivity. ✈ ‘Happiness’ builds resilience. ✈ Resilience helps in managing stress and bouncing back better when faced with setbacks. ✈ ‘Happiness’ supports learning ability and skills. ✈ ‘Happiness’ promotes leadership qualities and one gains the acceptability of people as a leader. ✈ ‘Happiness’ is contagious and all people around you also practice ‘happiness’. Our ‘happiness’ promotes the ‘happiness’ of our family. ✈ ‘Happiness’ encourages positive behavioral aspects like eating and sleeping well.

Why we are not happy
Our unhappiness is attributable to us only. We are the source of our unhappiness. Following reasons / our behavioral aspects are responsible for our unhappiness:-

1. Not valuing what one has
This is one of the biggest reasons for unhappiness. We do not value what we have in terms of the people around us or the resources. Each individual is a unique creation of the Almighty including ourselves, our parent, spouse, kids and other family members. Rather than comparing with others, we must enjoy the uniqueness of each of them.We do not value our possessions or assets. We always look for what other people (mostly the higher-ups) have which is better than us. It is all a matter of perception. If you question yourself five times as to ‘how does it matter?’ In the end you will feel what you have is perfectly all right. Whenever any such thought comes to your mind that you do not have something, ask yourself the following questions:-

✈ Will it increase my knowledge / professional capability? ✈ Will it increase my blood count / life? ✈ Will it increase the ‘happiness’ of my parents, spouse, children or other relatives? ✈ Will it increase my acceptability in the organization / society? ✈ Does this really matter in overall life cycle of a human being? ✈ What if, I do not have this / that? ✈ Is there anyone else who does not have this, but is still happy? ✈ Is it impossible to be happy without it? etc.

One should always value what one has and should feel proud about that and enjoy it fully while keep working hard with best of his / her ability.

2. No psychological / social support
This is another major reason for unhappiness. Everyone thinks that he / she is the best creation and there is no one else who is more knowledgeable / skillful than him / her. They live with their bloated ego and arrogance only. They are aloof in the world and live with their ‘I’ only. They have no faith in the almighty or anyone else. They have no real friends or mentor. It is mental sickness.

3. No focus on ‘happiness’
If one does not focus on ‘happiness’; he / she will remain unhappy.

How to remain happy
By now we know that it is absolutely critical for a human being to be always happy. Now the question comes, how to remain happy?

‘Happiness’ is not something which we can buy from the market. Even money cannot buy ‘happiness’. ‘Happiness’ is within us and we need to activate it. There is no single switch to activate ‘happiness’. The following points will help us in activating our ‘happiness’.

1. Positive mind frame
One should always do the right things with the highest level of integrity and have a positive mind frame. When the right things are done with the right intentions, the results will always be right only. One should also remember that whatever happens, happens for good.

2. Self-confidence and faith in the almighty
Self-confidence sails you through the most troubled waters in life. Have faith in the almighty of our religion or region. It is always said that prayers are more powerful than medicines.

3. Keep smiling
When one smiles, ‘happiness’ hormones are released from the body which makes one happier. As a smile is contagious, other people will also smile and it makes overall environment happy.

4. Regular physical exercise
Exercise keeps us physically and mentally fit. Exercise also helps the brain release ‘happiness’ hormones in our body. Health is the biggest wealth.

5. Quality sleep
Quality deep sleep of seven hours or more keeps one completely in command the next day. People who sleep well are alert, energetic and happier than the people who miss their sleep.

6. Eat well
One should always focus on what and when to eat. Always focus on the quality of the meal. Avoid junk food and outside food to the extent possible.

7. Practicing gratitude
Practicing gratitude is a mood booster for anyone. When we express our gratitude for anyone or anything, the feeling of contentment gives rise to immense ‘happiness’.

8. Giving compliments
Giving a sincere compliment is a quick and easy way to brighten someone’s day while giving your own ‘happiness’ a booster dose. Catch the person’s eye and say it with a smile so they know you mean it. You might be surprised by how good it makes you feel.

9. Breathe deeply
Whenever you have some tense moments, practice deep breathing. It will calm you down and make you feel happy as breathing deeply releases happiness hormones and control negative emotions.

10. Acknowledge unhappy moments
Wrong things do happen in daily life. Immediately take control and think why did it go wrong and take corrective action to ensure that it does not go wrong again.

11. Keep a diary of good things
Write down good things that have happened during the day. Keep reviewing those.

12. Take stress head on
There are times when one feels stressed due to the high level of activity or some uncertainty. Rather than postponing the activities or stress, it is better to deal with it then and there. If the stress is activity related, put in your best efforts and take support. If it is related to some uncertainty, take guidance from your seniors or elders. Stress is not harmful always; sometimes it teaches us.

13. Avoid comparing yourself and your loved ones with others
If one wants to be happy, one should avoid comparing himself / herself and loved ones with others. Everyone has his / her own set of challenges. When we compare with others we ignore the positives and strengths of ourselves and our loved ones and focus on the positives and strengths of others and their loved ones. We never know their weakness or the issues they are facing. The grass always looks greener on the other side till the time we go there. If we have to compare, we need to compare ourselves with our past and need to see whether we have made progress. If not we need to reach out to our mentors or seniors for their guidance.

14. Organize / declutter
Organize your workplace, drawer, wardrobe, furniture, shoe rack etc. to ensure that everything has a place and everything at its place. It will enable things to be handy and most usable. Always do the daily and weekly cleaning.

15. Meet friends / make relationships
One should always make real friends and develop relationships. Make it a practice to meet real friends and discuss with them the good and bad experiences. Negative emotions do disappear during discussions with friends and the positive emotions take charge. While talking to friends, one accumulates a lot of ‘happiness’ hormones.

16. Plan your day / week / month
Planning is one of the most important aspects of ‘happiness’. One should always note down tasks to be done in a systematic and chronological order rather than remembering in mind and stressing your own mind. The fear of forgetting a task will always keep you stressed. There is no harm in keeping a pen and slip pad always with you to note down as soon as some task comes to your mind.

17. Give yourself some free time
You may like to ditch your phone / social media for some time and think yourself as to what you are doing and what you intend to do. Introspect yourself. You may like to read, meditate or go for a quick walk.

18. Love the nature
You should make it a habit to enjoy and love nature; maybe the greenery, birds, animals, river, waterfall etc.

19. Practice meditation
Meditation helps in increasing your concentration and focus. It gives you renewed energy.

20. Practice a self-care ritual
There are always somethings that you love doing which provide you with intrinsic pleasure. It may be offering prayers, doing some social / charitable work and going to a place of worship or teaching / coaching / counselling people. Practicing self-care rituals will always make you happy. It will strengthen you will power.

21. Giving back
Giving back is also a good mood booster. You may like to offer food / clothes to needy people or gifting something to your loved ones.

22. Take yourself out
Take breaks and go for holidays or to meet friends or relatives. Go to movies or shopping.

23. Create a thought list
Always do some practice on your thought process before going to meetings.

24. Re-evaluate you goals
From time to time one should re-evaluate his / her goals and keep adjusting them to ground realities.

25. Let go of the grudges
There is no point in keeping the grudges. You need to let it go for your own peace, ‘happiness’ and health rather than for others.

Practicing all the above 25 points will help to activate your overall long term ‘happiness’.

‘Happiness’ is vital for overall well-being of an individual and his whole family. Choice is with us whether we want to remain happy and keep our family happy or vice-versa. It is said, “Be happy otherwise your doctors will be happy.”

Let us take a ‘New Year resolution’ that we will keep ourselves, our loved ones and everyone around us ‘Happy’ forever!

Always be happy!

Happiest New Year 2023!

“Happiness is contagious; let us become the messenger of happiness.”

“Happiness is not about getting all we want, it is about enjoying all we have.”