It’s a question we often ask our selves. Am I happy? I’m not talking about simply going through the motions of being happy but looking inside yourself and saying “Am I really happy”.

Where does happiness come from? Does it reside inside of us, or does it come from external sources? There are a number of variables that make a far greater contribution to happiness than external and more superficial factors. Some would argue that you can find happiness. Sometimes happiness is elusive, depending on what’s going on in your life at the time.

But what distinguishes happy people, is that they have a different attitude - a different way of thinking about things and doing things. They interpret the world in a different way, and go about their lives in a different way.

It has been suggested that there are several factors that contribute towards our happiness. This is an ‘equation for happiness’ suggested by Martin Seligman, an American based psychologist:

H = S + C + V

H = Happiness
S = Set range - (genetics: about 50%)
C = Circumstances (8-15%)
V = Voluntary Control - (past, present, future)

Happiness is something that means different things to different people, but overall it seems that it is the way we choose to think about ourselves, our place in the world, and the world around us, and how we act in that world, that differentiates the happy people from the less happy people.

Maybe there are things you can do to find it.

With thanks to www.reachout.com.au