A Question of Perspective

I recenly found this online – The Happiness Project - and decided to take part. If you are interested, here are The Guidelines

1. How do you define happiness?
   My definition of happiness has to do with satisfaction.  Feeling like you’ve done a good job, made someone’s day, enjoy your life. 
2. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your happiness now, versus when you were a child?
   As a child, I wondered a lot why the other kids were happier than I was.  So, perhaps as a child I would have been around a 5. Up until recently, I hadn’t gotten much higher than that 5.  I was content. Definitely not satisfied.  Now, I am satisfied.  With my life, with my work, with my relationship. Now, I’d give it an 8.5
3. What do you do on a daily basis that brings you happiness? (and how consistent is the feeling of happiness throughout your day)
   Every day, I try to remember how good I have it.  I have a nice place to live, food, a great job, wonderful friends and a fantastic relationship.  It’s a pretty consistent feeling, now that I’ve found it.  Actively thinking about all of those things makes me smile.  The most tangible form of happiness.
4. What things take away from your happiness? What can be done to lessen their impact or remove them from your life?
   The primary detractor of my happiness is me.  I allow people to upset me, situations to get me riled up… letting things make me nuts is my biggest downfall. It’s also the reason for the biggest dips in my happiness scale.  What do I do to lessen the impact?  Deep breaths, remember that everything is relative, and attempt to get a grip.
5. What do you plan on doing in the future that will bring you even more happiness?
   Try to keep on with the things I’ve found that make me happy.  To remember how much I enjoy my life and the people in it, and actively take a part in cultivating those things.