People from the past generation and to the present one have always been fascinated by happiness.

What is it?

Where does it come from?

How do we get more of it?

And for a long time, researchers and experts have tried to answer these questions.

I strongly believe that happiness doesn't have a single definition. But there are common factors that contribute to it. And what’s interesting is that some of these factors are all within our control; meaning the key to happiness is most time within us.

Happiness is the sense of control and mastery over one’s life, the ability to set and achieve goals, and a sense of belonging and connectedness to others.

Happiness has no price. It is not necessarily our wealth, status in society, extravagant vacation or dream job that brings us joy, but the sense of fulfillment we feel every day after we have done something important and fulfilling.

So the good news is that happiness is free. It’s something we can all access by simply making some small changes in our lives.

There is a happiness that can be found in the journey towards a goal. It’s about the experience and the milestones you hit along the way. People who are happy have time to be productive while also having time in their lives for pursuits that matter to them.

Happiness is achieved through confidence, which means having a high level of achievement in your goals and understanding your capabilities, but also knowing your flaws and accepting them.

One of the single biggest determinant of happiness is being grateful for what you have. Taking your time to appreciate what you have, realizing that you are surrounded by people who love you, and appreciating the small things in life.

If you're grateful for your family, for example, it doesn't matter whether your family is poorly educated or not as wealthy as some others; you're more likely to be happy.

Optimism also plays a big role in happiness. Optimistic people tend to be more satisfied with life and more confident in their future prospects. An optimist sees and knows that after every storm there is calmness.

Materialism; anti-happiness

The lifestyle we have today is making a lot of people unhappy and yearning for happiness. We live in a world that focuses on instant gratification, thereby making us focus heavily on the question “what’s in it for me?”. We have forgotten to ask ourselves, “what am I in it for?”.

We all are so busy worrying about where our next meal, party or dress will come from, we forget to stop and ask who we are and what we stand for.

And the world of social media has turned things around. Many people measure their self-worth from the amount of followers they have on social medias, or how many likes or retweets they get.

In this world filled with social media, materialism has taken over our lives and most of thought are purely materialistic; this leave us with little or no happiness. I think we need a paradigm shift in the way we see and think of happiness and priorities as a whole.

Happiness is not owning the newest iPhone or the biggest house in your neighborhood. We should leave materialism behind and give back to our community by donating what we can to help those around us. When we make others happy, we are truly happy.

Closing thoughts

Happiness is not something ready made. Rather it comes as a result your own thoughts and actions.

Making a difference in the lives of people around you, creates a chain reaction of happiness. When you make someone else happy, you make yourself happy. Remember that Happiness is contagious.

Appreciation

I want to specially thank @Talecharm for the huge sponsorship renewal.

I appreciate everyone who has been part of my success story here on read cash, including you reading this.

I wish you all happiness.