HAPPINESS IS SOMETHING EVERYONE WANTS TO HAVE. YOU MAY BE SUCCESSFUL AND HAVE A LOT OF MONEY, BUT WITHOUT HAPPINESS IT WILL BE MEANINGLESS.

BEFORE WE MOVE FURTHER, ITS A GOOD IDEA TO GET DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD HAPPINESS ITSELF. UNDERSTANDING WHAT HAPPINESS IS WILL GIVE US GOOD GROUND UPON WHICH TO BUILD OUR DISCUSSIONS. LET ME START WITH AN OFFICIAL DEFINITION. ACCORDING TO MERRIAM-WEBSTERS ONLINE DICTIONARY, HERE IS THE DEFINITION OF HAPPINESS: - A STATE OF WELL-BEING AND CONTENTMENT - A PLEASURABLE OR SATISFYING EXPERIENCE

THIS DEFINITION IS A GOOD STARTING POINT AND WE CAN DIG DEEPER FROM IT. THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT IS TO CONSULT SOME OF THE GREATEST MINDS IN HISTORY. SO I RESEARCHED WHAT THESE PEOPLE SAY ABOUT HAPPINESS AND FOUND 7 ESSENTIAL DEFINITIONS. EACH OF THEM HAS DEEP MEANING. TAKE YOUR TIME TO ABSORB IT. HERE THEY ARE:

HAPPINESS IS WHEN WHAT YOU THINK, WHAT YOU SAY, AND WHAT YOU DO ARE IN HARMONY. MAHATMA GANDHI

HAPPINESS IS THAT STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS WHICH PROCEEDS FROM THE ACHIEVEMENT OF ONES VALUES. AYN RAND

HAPPINESS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE AND IT COMES FROM THE WAY YOU THINK. WAYNE DYER

HAPPINESS IS ESSENTIALLY A STATE OF GOING SOMEWHERE, WHOLEHEARTEDLY, ONE-DIRECTIONALLY, WITHOUT REGRET OR RESERVATION. WILLIAM H. SHELDON

HAPPINESS IS THE MEANING AND THE PURPOSE OF LIFE, THE WHOLE AIM AND END OF HUMAN EXISTENCE. ARISTOTLE

HAPPINESS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU EXPERIENCE, ITS SOMETHING YOU REMEMBER. OSCAR LEVANT

ALL IN ALL, I WOULD SAY THAT HAPPINESS IS A DECISION. YOUR HAPPINESS IS YOUR DECISION TO MAKE. ALL THE QUOTES ABOVE REQUIRE ACTIONS ON OUR PART AND ACTIONS REQUIRE DECISIONS. SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? WHAT IS HAPPINESS?