chelle, when you say it’s what you make it out to be, do you mean it’s what you recognize as happiness, or what you choose to call happiness?

Thanks so much for including me on this list and happy new year to you too!

Chelle’s last blog post..Making the Most of Being Single

Everyone has different ways of getting it I guess, mine is just to be in a nice position in life… I think love is a great factor too.

@raul – thanks for your wishes. yes, knowing you is definitely an ingredient in my happiness! (i’m lucky enough to live in vancouver and to be able to spend some time with the fabulous raul aka hummingbird in the flesh!)

@alexander and @andrew – yes, for those of us whose lives are focused on spirituality, nearness to god/goddess/the source or whatever name calls to us is definitely at the core of happiness …

@CC the difference you make between happiness and happy is very interesting! of course it would be interesting to think now about pleasure … are you talking about sense pleasure? how would you define pleasure?

@evan what you said about authenticity – interesting: as i was savouring that word (it is a very flavourful word, isn’t it?) i immediately went back to the feeling of the core. when i am authentic, i am connected to god …

@christa – yes! giggles! smiles! laughter! when they come right from the belly (from the core?) it is happiness.

and @raj – i, too, wish for you to move closer to happiness.

and as it says in the buddhist metta prayer: may you all be peaceful, may you all be healthy, may you all be free from suffering – and may you all be happy.

We all have the happy, the joy and the giggles within us. We can choose to tap into these feelings at any time.

We don’t live our lives in a 24/7 state of bliss and some people have chemical imbalances that makes it more challenging to tap into joy….but we ALL have the ability to touch happy at any time.

Many blessings and giggles to each one of you for a fantabulous (yes, I make up words) New Year!!!

Christa at Giggle On’s last blog post..9 Tips to Boost Your Mood

There is a strong link between place in the social hierarchy and health. (Agency and relationship make up the most important determinant of health – for details see Michael Marmot’s The Social Syndrome).

For me happiness is being able to live with authenticity – and not have to compromise my values for the sake of money or social pressure.

Raj’s last blog post..Silvia’s reflections on India

I am sorry that I have not visited your blog in so long, and I hope that 2009 represents a year of happiness, fulfillment and joy for you and your family.

I don’t know that there is one correct definition for happiness, although I think that Alexander’s comment is pretty close on, and from my personal viewpoint, being in tune and aligned with god is an absolutely critical aspect of true happiness.

With respect to income levels, I am personally not convinced that there is a great correlation between happiness and income levels, although higher income levels do make life more comfortable.

I think happiness is a decision which any individual can make regardless of his or her income level.

Andrew’s last blog post..Happy new year and my goals for blogging

Happiness to me is contentment within. Actually, it is more than that to me because there is a spiritual aspect, emotional, self-identity, etc.

I’m thinking solidity of self.

Just some thoughts.

Happy New Year!!

I am really grateful that I found you this past year. Definitely one of my highlights.

ClinicallyClueless’s last blog post..Happy New Year!!!!

Alexander M Zoltai’s last blog post..Insanity !