Stories from the Collective...

What is Happiness For Me

by Anjali Kumar
(India)

Well everyone has (so far) listed a lot of things which make them happy and these things hold true for me, also, along with a million other people.

For me, though, happiness is a label that I put on any thing, thought, activity or relationship status. And this label then prevents me from experiencing any uncomfortable emotions and thoughts of monotony, insecurity, jealousy, anger, helplessness, stress, loss etc.

So, in a sense, my happiness shields me from unhappiness.

The strange thing is, though, to experience happiness in earnest and to recognise it, one has to actually have the courage to face the tough situations and feelings of life as well. Which means, like as with most things in life, the meaning we give to happiness changes as we mature because we keep changing the label.

Finally, and importantly, we have to consciously work hard at being happy. Nothing in life (including happiness) comes on a platter.