Happiness

In the Nicomachean Ethics, written in 350 B.C.E., Aristotle stated that happiness (also being well and doing well) is the only thing that humans desire for its own sake, unlike riches, honor, health or friendship. He observed that men sought riches, or honor, or health not only for their own sake but also in order to be happy. Note that eudaimonia, the term we translate as “happiness”, is for Aristotle an activity rather than an emotion or a state. Happiness is characteristic of a good life, that is, a life in which a person fulfills human nature in an excellent way. People have a set of purposes which are typically human: these belong to our nature. The happy person is virtuous, meaning they have outstanding abilities and emotional tendencies which allow him or her to fulfill our common human ends. For Aristotle, then, happiness is “the virtuous activity of the soul in accordance with reason”: happiness is the practice of virtue ( http://www.funkysuccess.com/happiness/ ).

There is an old English saying that goes: “One man’s heaven is another man’s hell.” Simply put, this means that we all know what we see as heaven, or hell for us. We can use the same principle on the meaning of happiness. How our happiness is based on our personal life values ​​and life style. For example, for many people, happiness is to go out, be happy and enjoy life. Others are happy and content just to stay home and do what they want. The latter does not need to go out or somewhere else to be happy. By definition, happiness can be defined as a mood or a feeling of satisfaction, love, joy or pleasure.

There are two basic schools of thought regarding the term “happiness”. One is that our happiness is based on external things like a prosperous life. The other school says that luck more an internal phenomenon. Some philosophers and religious thinkers are inclined to see the idea of ​​happiness as a condition of a relatively “good” natural life. They approached happiness as a condition where one thrives in contrast with an emotion inside that we emit into the outside world.

Psychology tries to define happiness according to a person’s mental condition and a positive outlook. Science on the other hand, attempts to define happiness as something that exists when people move into a state of physical and biological fulfillment.

Although it is difficult to describe happiness as a concrete phenomenon because it is culturally and socially determined, there is general consensus about the essence of the definition of happiness. It is universally agreed that happiness comes down to three things, namely pleasure, engagement and meaning in one’s life. Regardless of the person, place or culture, the universal view of happiness is based on positive emotions and activities of a person’s life that is emitted to the outside world and that are based on the definition of happiness in the culture of which he or she is part. There are certain general characteristics that can be associated with happiness. They are:
1.Relationships
2.Love
3.Social interactions
4.Extraversion, marital status
5.Status, employment,
6.State of health
7. Freedom in a truly democratic sense
8. Optimism
9. Religion
10. Income
11.To be surrounded by “happy” people.

The order of these general characteristics are not necessarily ranked according to importance. The importance of each is ultimately based on a person’s value system in relation to happiness that is experienced. One person sees love as happiness while another finds happiness in economic security.

Social factors are one of the most important things that make people happy. Their relationships with others are an important source of happiness that flows out of the interaction. A widely publicized study in the British Medical Journal reported that happiness appears to be spreading from person to person within a social network or group. Research was conducted over a period of 20 years and found that happiness tends to spread through close relationships like friends, siblings, spouses and even neighbors.

The research also found that happiness spreads in a given network more consistently than unhappiness. The structure of the social network has an impact on happiness. For example, people in the inner circle of family and friends were happier than those further away on the edge of the network.

This study also concluded that happiness can spread like a virus. When a person is happy in a close social network, that happy state spread also to other persons in the network through their interaction with the source of happiness.

It is safe to say that regardless of the community or country in which you are, only you can just decide whether you are happy or not. In reality there is no such thing as a problem-free life, but you can have a certain degree of happiness in spite of daily problems. Happiness is actually found when we overcome the obstacles and pain that life brings and stronger because of our experiences. The inner sense of fulfillment to perseverance and overcoming life’s obstacles are actually the source of true happiness. This compares to the feeling you get with mountain climbing and eventually reach the top!

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Sources:
http://www.academicroom.com/topics/what-is-positive-psychology
http://www.healthseakers.com/pages/bandb/happiness.html
http://www.indiastudychannel.com/attachments/experts/103-8213-HAPPY.txt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_psychology
http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Happiness/532268
http://noteakshay.blogspot.com/
http://www.funkysuccess.com/happiness/

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How To Improve Your Chances For Success

The secret of success manifests  in:

1. Mental and physical consciousness and action

2. The practical fulfillment or satisfaction of a want or a need

Success is really a simple process when you are capable of overcoming the barriers in your life that hinder you to make your thoughts and dreams reality!

You have to break down the inner resistance that stops you from doing what you want to do or that always urge you to postpone things till later.

Get away from the procrastination habit which prevent you from getting forward and doing what is necessary!

The most common real life barrier for achieving success, is a fear or a complex set of fears that prevent you from going over to action! They usually are the result of a lack of knowledge or experience about the real outcome of your actions.

The resulting resistance against any action then takes the form of one or more of the following beliefs: – You would not be able to control the result

– The result would interfere with your easy daily existence

– There is danger or harm in the unknown

The best way to combat such barriers are to learn what the various outcomes really are today and pick the one that you are most comfortable with. Then start doing what you were afraid of before, knowing precisely that the outcome will be in your favour. After all, the experiences of others, or of your past are usually not the same always. Times and circumstances change every day and do not repeat themselves that often as a rule of thumb!

Transform your fears into challenges and combat them with a brave and enlightened heart. You will be surprised at the sudden successes that avoided you in the past. And you will experience that life should not be that difficult at all. All that it takes is up to date knowledge and action!

Focus On Your Powerful Internal Driving Force!

By Piet Venter

The famous motivational coach, Napoleon Hill, said: “There is no hope of success for the person who does not have a central purpose, or definite goal, at which to aim. Ninety-eight out of every hundred of those whom I have analyzed had no such aim. Perhaps this was the major cause of their failure.”

 

A search for the origin of the goal or purpose leads us to human nature and more specific, it’s conscious and unconscious reaction to experiences and influences. These differ from person to person and are usually identified through one or more of the following lifestyles and passions:

 

1. Materialism. The focus is on luxury and status. Success is measured by extent and size.

 

2. Power.  The power hunter  wants to gain as much control over another person or persons as possible. Success is measured by the amount of control, but in other cases by the achievements of those you control as in the case of many managerial and supervising situations.

 

3. Social driven. Social acceptance from the group is the driving force behind a person’s passion and lifestyle. (A good example is teenagers with an almost insane drive to be “in”!). Social driven success is measured by a sense of worthiness or self esteem when the group envies or approves of your achievements or you did something to the benefit the group members or greater community.

 

4. Spiritual driven. A person’s passion is manifested in satisfying the wishes or rules of an unseen power you adore or follow. Success is measured in the strength of one’s resistance to desires and material gain or in a lifestyle that are not in accordance with the spiritual rules you obey.

 

5. Escapism. The passion manifests in adventure or excitement of the moment. These persons are always searching for fun, experience and the next thing that get them exited or “on the go”! Success is measured in the amount of fun, height of the experience or the number of obstacles conquered. Wiktionary describes Escapism as “An inclination to escape from routine or reality into fantasy”, while Wikipedia defines it as “mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an “escape” from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life. It can also be used as a term to define the actions people take to help relieve persisting feelings of depression or general sadness.“ 

 

Almost 80 percent of the wealth in the United States are in the hands of just 5 percent of its population! Jason Oberender is confident that the reason for that is because the top 5 percent were clear about the purpose of their lives and had a burning desire or passion to fulfill that purpose. People are successful because they have a passion for what they love and focused on it as their main purpose in life.

 

Conclusion – Find something that you are passionate about and focus on it. Then you will eventually find your success in it. If you focus attention and energy  on your sole purpose or passion, you will become better and eventually a big success in it!

 

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If you want a wider scope of success than just becoming a better person, then please visit 3 Practical Strategies For Success
And Personal Achievement. It covers three strategic tactics for success in business, sports, internet, hobbies, studies and other walks of life!