Happiness

(My notes will have a little @ by them.)

HAP'PINESS, noun [from happy.] The agreeable sensations which spring from the enjoyment of good; that state of a being in which his desires are gratified, by the enjoyment of pleasure without pain; felicity; but happinessusually expresses less than felicity, and felicity less than bliss. happiness is comparative. To a person distressed with pain, relief from that pain affords happiness; in other cases we give the name happiness to positive pleasure or an excitement of agreeable sensations. happiness therefore admits of indefinite degrees of increase in enjoyment, or gratification of desires. Perfect happiness or pleasure unalloyed with pain, is not attainable in this life.

2. Good luck; good fortune.

3. Fortuitous elegance; unstudied grace.

For there's a happiness as well as care.

QUOTES:

~Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.

Omar Khayyam

@I think this is talking about being grateful in the moment, which I think is really important when you're trying to live a joyful life.

~I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.

Martha Washington

@Happiness comes when you do your best with the best you have.

~Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

Mahatma Gandhi

@When your thoughts and actions are combined in one purpose for good, you can be happy.

~True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

@I think you can be happy when you accomplish something, or do something to better the world.

SCRIPTURES:

Psalms 128

2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

@Working towards a righteous cause will bring joyous rewards.

Proverbs 3

13 ¶Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

@Active learning brings joy.

Proverbs 16

20 He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.

@You can find peace and joy when you put yourself fully in the Lord's hands. 

Romans 14

22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.

@Have faith in the atonement and don't beat yourself up over what mistakes you made.

PERSONAL DEFINITION:

 There are kind of two versions of happiness. One is, pain free, pleasure, ease, comfort, relief, enjoyment, and kind of just fulfillment of carnal desires.

But in the scriptures, there's more to it. It's more of joy, obedience, righteousness, grace, love, trust, hope. It is more connected with keeping the commandments and it's like a fulfillment for spiritual desires.

I think another big part of true happiness (or joy) is gratitude.

Being ungrateful will always lead to feeling of anger, discontentment, and it drives the spirit away. Gratitude is showing God through word and deed that you appreciate what He has given you. So it includes being righteous and having a good attitude.

You can choose lasting happiness with your mind and actions. Choose to have the spirit.