Key To Happiness...

I have a lot of things I'm grateful for. I'm grateful for my mom, my three dogs, I'm grateful I have less than a year to finish getting my BA, I'm grateful to have a special guy in my life at the moment, and I'm grateful to have a place to live. I find myself wanting more and more, because I'm young and don't have a job. So, I see people with jobs able to have more than I do. I also see things in the media and want them. I guess I want too much at times. I don't have kids at the moment of my own, but I have worked with children and will be a teacher. I try to teach them to be happy with what they have, but if they want more to work hard and earn it. That way they'll appricate what they'll get.

Hi, What you wrote is the 'KEY TO HAPPINESS' You have shown us the way, we just need to follow the path :) I am very grateful that I am still alive and myLotting here. 16 years ago, if I was not been operated in time, I might not be here typing this response. Before the operation, I was a workaholic. I worked 3 jobs a day.. I came from a poor family, im my mind is work and earn and save...to have a better live in the future! Because of this I forgot to really 'live'! Thank God for giving me the 2nd chance to live. I am really grateful for what I have now. Since then, God blessed me with a son, many overseas holiday trips with my family, many free movies to enjoy, make new friends and live life to the fullest! I learn to appreciate what I have, who I have and who I am. All the best, hope to hear views on my topic too

This is one thing that i am very thankful for in my life...I have always taken what i have, and work on it to make it better & i am always happy with what i have...If i only had a tent I would fix it up,cozy & be happy with it...I really do not know why i am that way,maybe it was the way i was raised , i am not sure....Of course i see big beautiful houses & they look great, but at the same time i also know that it does NOT bring you happiness....I live in an apt,1 bedroom, far from a big fancy home, but i have it fixed up cute & i am happy with what i have,I feel blessed.....I have not ever envied others for what they have, i am happy for them....As i look back on my life, yes i have some regrets, we all do, but i feel that i have been given the most important things in my life that i actually need....and that would be a roof over my head, something to drive, food on the table & able to pay my bills..these are the things that make me happy...NO i do not have the best but i am happy with what i do have, because i could be a lot worse off...

twoey yes I am grateful for a roof over my head, three meals a d ay and not having to sleep on a park bench or roam santa ana trying to find shelter for my adult son and me the 82 yr old mom. homeless a sick sick feeling evicted more sick feeling, so my son put me here in Gold Crest retirementcenter and he was put in free transistional housing with three other men without jobs our family,only him and me,were split for now. am I grateful yes because I had no other place to go, do I want to be here,of course not aS I had my own apartment with my son until all horrible stuff happened, but he will get another job in time,we will accumulate money and get another apartment one day so for now I am happy and grateful.

I'm pretty happy with my life,of course I would like to have a bigger place to live and a car and of course more moneybut who doesn't. There are people that have nothing and no one to help them. I'm fortunate to still have my parents and my health. I have a great honey and a good job. Like you said some people always need more but I'm not one of them, maybe winning the lottery won't hurt though

Yes I do. It is one of the things I tell my seven year old daughter a lot of the time when she complains about not having something one of her friends has. I decided to teach my child just how lucky she is by sponsoring a little girl from Uganda. Her name is Hajara and she is around my daughter’s age and with the letters and updates about her we are learning just how different our family’s life is compared to hers and we feel so good helping out although it is hard for us to afford it at times we are still so very lucky in comparison. Human nature is such that the more we have the more we desire. A way to true riches is teaching ourselves to want less and by practicing gratitude and expressing thanks for what we do have instead of we may feel is lacking.

I like to think I taught my kids to be thankful for what they did have. I used a phrase when they were growing up that I wanted them to realize. I never said "We cannot afford it" , but rather I would say "We choose to spend our money in another way." because I knew a lot of people with a lot of debt, but of course they appeared to have more things than we did. I am thankful for family, and friends, and food to eat and a place to call home. Many people do not have these things.

To me the key to happiness is 'contentment'.I am also in total agreement with what you have written twoey. Moreover, when one is contented it spills over and the surrounding is also peaceful.I deintely have instilled this in my son though however, this does not exclude us from trying and making efforts to improve. I am grateful for the countless blessings God has showered on me and all have to ask is for His grace throughout my life.

Looking at my life, I'm grateful for everything. ESPECIALLY THE BAD STUFF, because I learned alot from all of it. All of it. It helped me grow as a person. I'm grateful for the simple things too, like being able to breathe...having food, clean water, central heating, central plumbing, and a bed to sleep in. I'm grateful for the parcel of land we have to grow things on and raise animals on. I'm grateful for my mind, and that even though it's high maitenance (demands being fed consistantly)...that it's mine to use and it's happy to be used. I'm grateful for my health. For my small successes in newsblogging. On mylot. In general. I'm just plain thankful period, so I would just hope that no one would ever assume that I don't appreciate something. xD I am usually quite content with my life. I do struggle with depression off and on, but that doesn't stop me from being content with my life as it is (depression is self-loathing with me, not life-loathing). I do occasionally want to change things, I do like getting something frivolous every once and awhile, but I won't throw a hissy fit about not having enough money or enough of anything, because what I have and what I will have will always be enough for me. I never wanted excess. I don't like spending willy nilly...I prefer being practical. And all I've ever really wanted in life was to have "enough". Enough food, enough air, enough water, enough shelter. And, if I were lucky, enough creativity, learning, and love.

I don't dispute what you are saying at all, but I do admit to being curious. How do you know that your cat loves you?

Hi twoey, You have really hit the nail on the head with this one.We can only be happy now with what we have now. Being grateful shows us the way to this great truth. There is little more to add expect to say thank you for this post as we all need a reminder once in a while. Blessings.

I learned long ago that the key to happiness is to be happy with what you have, no matter how little it is. God will always take care of me and make sure that I have enough as long as I use the brain he gave me and do as much for myself as I can. I have my health, my adult sons, my dogs, my family and even if I don't have a job right now I can find good in that, too. Another key to happiness is preparing for lean times. I had four months' worth of living expenses saved till my ex decided he was going to court to reduce the amount he has to pay me each month. Now my lawyer has it! But at least I was prepared. So I have no reason to be unhappy right now, I've done everything I could to prepare for hard times and I have food and water in the basement enough for a month at least (and dog food!).

Wonderful discussion twoey. In other words you can also say how much a person is at peace with himself/herself. I opine tyhat people who are greedy are the most frustrated lot. They never get satisfied with whatever they have and always want more and more. On my part I can say, we had gone through great finacial crisis, have come out of it with Lord's Blessings. Only factor which has brought us out of this mess is that we always looked at the things what we had, like our wonderful children, their interest in studies, have settled down well. This virtue of positive thinking I've obtained from my husband only.

Hey, Well the main reason I am happy over sad, is because I always look at the bright side of life. Don't look at what you don't have and what you want, just look at what you have, not what you don't have. Make sure you have a good day, God bless and Happy Lotting!!

two things I want: a child and financial stability they don't seem to go together but I don't mind giving my all to get them I used to think that we can't have a child if we are not stabil financially but we will be too old then so I won't wait for that moment anymore I am blessed to have such a great supportive husband even if I lose material possession I won't lose him I will teach our child that money only matters as far as bills as long as we have each other, no extravaganza is needed and therefore bills won't be high, so we can live our lives not as slaves to money

I am happy to have a place to live. In the last couple of years I never new if I was going to be on the street. That is a big worry, so I have learned ot be happy with what I have. Have a blessed day.

I am thankful for my family and friends. They are wonderful and I sometimes forget to tell them so. I am thankful for my apartment, the clients who come to see me, my co-workers who are a joy to work with. I am thankful for the part-time position I have... may want a full time job too but am thankful for what I have now. I am thankful for my education, talents and skills... I am thankful for full mobility, for speech, for hearing and seeing... I would like to see better but I am thankful for the vision I have. I am thankful for the ability to experience and remember things. I am thankful for the ability to love and be loved. I am happy with my life most of the time... Sometimes though, even I get sad... I have to work to remind myself of the good that is in my life and tell myself regarding the difficult situations of life... "This too shall pass."

The key to happiness, well... that is one good question. I am happy with what I do have, and though I do want more for my fiance and I, I will not truthfully wish for anything that I can not obtain sensibly.

I totally agree with you. I struggle with this, but rather then wishing for things, I just wish to be a "better person." I keep thinking that life would be better if I was better looking, smarter, more intelligent... etc. I know that I would be happier if I appreciated my talents instead of feeling bad about my shortcomings. I try to be proud of my accomplishments and skills, so that my son learns self esteem. As far as material things... I'm very happy with my life. I love our little condo, and I feel really lucky to live in such a nice community and drive a nice little car. I just need to work on feeling good about the things I do well, and I'll be in a really good place for teaching my son how to be happy with life.

Hi twoey...I truly believe what you say is real! Just like you we don't have much - but we have a nice home, food on the table and we love each other. So we don't go on big vacations and our idea of a wild night out is dinner at the local diner! We have a great time together and that's all that matters right now.