The First Law Of Happiness - How Do We Know If We Are Happy?

"Happiness is a choice." --Rudyard Kipling. When I first read those words, I thought, "Yes, this is the most wonderful and wise saying of all time!" But it wasn't only my mind that getting pleasure from those words. It was also my body, which realized that happiness depended upon itself.


Think about a road accident. If that person was not protected by the car's seat belt, and another car or a pedestrian came up and hit him, would he be alive? No! His body would continue to move forward, but without that seat belt there would be no protection and he'd die in an instant.

So does happiness depend upon anything else? I answer NO! I think this is the very foundation of happiness. It relies on no outside source, nothing but our own ability to make happiness a reality for ourselves. It is a matter of choice.

So what is happiness anyway? For my part, I define happiness as the ability to make the best out of every moment. I think happiness is the state of being that includes the appreciation of all that we have, the good and the bad that come along with everything that we are and can be. I think happiness is the state of being that includes the acknowledgment of our faults, the ability to use them positively and the excitement of making something positive happen.

I'm not sure what "anything" means. To me, happiness is a state of peace - a complete absence of conflict, anger, anxiety, fear, envy, sorrow and other negative feelings. It's a complete sense of well-being, a state of acceptance that encompasses all of our strengths and weaknesses. We come into the world as whole, complete beings and, as such, we should treat each other with kindness and respect and share the good and the bad with our own abilities and uniqueness.

Of course, I don't believe in placing conditions on happiness. I think that it depends on each individual and his or her ability to reach it. It is impossible to force happiness, especially when it comes to people. People are the result of their actions and how we treat those around us will determine how we treat ourselves. When we allow ourselves to be happy and pursue happiness for what it really is, then happiness depends on us.

What is happiness to you? How do you view and feel about being alive? What would you trade for being able to live a long, meaningful life? What does success mean to you? Happiness depends on us and what we do with our lives.

We have an opportunity to choose to be happy, to live an abundant life and to create a happiness that depends on us. The choice is ours alone but if we make the choice to be happy and give happiness a chance in our lives, then we will find happiness. If not, then we can only be thankful that life did offer us a chance at happiness.

The most important thing about happiness is that it is not given to us; it is something we have to come by. I think of happiness as a free gift from God, as He gives us so much more than just material possessions. His love and provision are the source of our joy. When we are happy and are able to see the good that comes from the good, then happiness depends on us because we received it from Him.

So how do we know if we are happy? When do we see the good and not the bad? Are the bad times as bad as the good times in our lives? Are our days filled with prosperity and peace or are they filled with sadness and conflict?

Each of us is different and has our own talents and gifts and we each use those gifts in different ways. When we are successful and enjoy prosperity and peace we feel fulfilled. If we do not like what we are doing and we see the bad side of everything, even if it is just the truth, then we will be miserable. Our life meaning changes because of these things and it changes for the better when we are able to see the good side.


This is the first law of happiness - the happiness of the soul. It is what makes us want to continue making the best of our lives. This is the joy of being alive. If we do not choose to see the good side in everything, then happiness depends upon us because we did not choose to be happy.