it's always the ride, not the destination that will make you happy.

at least for me anyway.

 

that depends if you're taking a ride to the strip club.. or the morgue.

 

if you're planning a trip to the morgue, you've missed the happiness bus a long time ago.

 

this is me to a tee. i feel like i was just born to be happy and in a good mood even if i dont always seem like i am. i do realize though, that when i get pissed, i stay pissed. it is hard for me to snap out of being angry and i'm usually like that for a day or two.

anyway, i think happiness is something you're born with. there are people with $50 million that are still unhappy and people with nothing that still enjoy life.

 

I think that overall, I'm a happy person.

I handle the world and deal with problems by reminding myself that it's not the end. If it was the end I'd be dead and if it's going wrong, time and effort will fix it.

I'd say now that I'm about an 6 out of 10 for happiness. I like my job, though I don't know about my future here post-merger, I have a wonderful boyfriend, I love my family, I'm blessed with amazing friends - even though one is having serious health issues, I'm not broke but I'm more in debt and have less free cash than I'd like.

When I know about my job post-merger and my friend gets better I'd say that my happiness level will rise to about an 8 overall. The job thing is really on my mind (obviously).

When I have more free cash to do more things I like (eat out, treat my friends/boyfriend/family, take more trips) my happiness level will rise to about a 9, and depending on my responsiblities/pay at work (if I have a job) after the merger that might knock it up to a 10.

At this point last year I'd say that I was about at a 3 or a 4. I was in a realtionship I didn't feel sure about, was emotionally rebelling agains the idea of moving to England for good as my gut told me it wasn't right, was driving a car I hated, living at home with my parents, going to school and having my best friend in the same city as me were about the only positive things in my life. Everything else pretty much sucked up until June.

That's where the "it isn't the end" mentality kicks in.

 

I am generally happy when I am not at work. My job is totally lame and I get paid in increments of donkey poo.

Otherwise, if I am generally a positive happy person.

While I have not totally given up on material things, I don't want the same crap I used to. I get more out of free time than I do out of working to buy a fancy watch.

I would be pretty un-happy if I just HAD to have a new 3 series. Then that would be ghetto and I would have to get a new 5 series. Then that would be a peasant-mobile so I would have to get a 7 series, and then after all that, BMW would piss me off and come out with a 9 series. It never ends.

I hang with the wife, my friends or play with the dog. Costs me nothing and I enjoy every minute.

Actually that makes it all clear now. The key to happiness is to be constantly surrounded by puppies. If puppies don't make you happy then you need prozac.

 

I'm pretty much at an 8/10 these days, probably. I'm normally right up there at a 9 or 10, but I'm somewhat physically incapacitated right now (car accident) and that has me kind of grumpy (sometimes) and tired (all the time). I even occasionally use poor grammar now, that's how tired I am.

I'm not rich - I make under six figures a year - and I don't have a bunch of cars or a huge house. I do have a great family - an amazing wife and a daughter that just won't stop surprising me - and I just really feel blessed all the time. I have a wonderful church family, real friends to hang out with, and a fulfilling job to put food on the table.

I guess I'd just say that I'm content. Not necessarily always happy, just content. I don't have everything I want but I'm satisfied with what I have. No rat races in my life, that's for sure...

What do I do to be happy? I maintain a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and that gives me the kind of balance I need to live life to its fullest. Doesn't mean I'm never unhappy or envious or dissatisfied but overall, it just means I'm really glad for what I have pretty much all the time. I spend time helping others, I don't hoard money, I try and make a difference in everything I do, and I do my best at all times (including having fun). That seems to work pretty well for me.

 

I'm probably around a 6-7/10 right now. I'm not very satisfied with my work right now, but I have plenty of opportunities opening up in the next few months, so I'm optimistic. My social and family life has been going well so that balances out the dreariness of work. I find that I'm much happier when my relationships are healthy.

 

10/10....is there any other way?

 

For me being self-aware is really important. There are different things that make me happy at different times. I do a fair amount of writing and every once in awhile I make a list of things I'm grateful for that day. It could be something like getting a new car or a loved one making it home safely or it could be something as simple as hearing the sound of my cat purring.

As far as coping with problems, it depends on the situation. I personally choose to use support of loved ones (and professionals when the need arises), self-care and journalling.

I think my happiness is maintained by hope and also by the people I choose to keep in my life. As long as I am making choices that enrich my life, happiness is likely to result.