The Minimalist Lifestyle Guide to Happiness | Minimalist Living

A guide to happiness?

Do we really need a guide to be happy?

What is happiness?

Do you ever wonder how to find happiness or am I the only one?

I actually read
The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

by Gretchen Rubin and rather enjoyed it.

She felt a bit stuck in her life and realized that there had to be more than just plodding through day after day.

Just a regular person with a fairly regular life.

And her prescription for happiness is quite straight forward.

I do recommend the book.

The various definitions of happiness all seem rather fuzzy to me.

What makes one person happy may not make another person happy.

Should we even be spending time and energy wondering how to be happy?

Why can?t it just happen damn it?!

Hell maybe it does and I don?t realize it! I am so caught up in thinking about happiness that I miss it.

Oh dear.

Anyway I digress.

What is interesting is that I have what most would call a very good life. And I do realize that so then I end up feeling guilty.

I want for nothing. I am healthy. My son is good(most of the time). I have an amazing girlfriend.

Shouldn?t that be enough?

I love my own version of minimalist living. I could do better at living a minimalist lifestyle, but I am a work in progress.

There were lots of amazing comments on the last post and it struck me on how many mentioned either happiness or contentment.

Are these two concepts the same or are they mutually exclusive of one anther?

Maybe what I need to realize is there is not any such thing as ?when I achieve x,y,z I will be happy?.

This is tricky to remember at times.

I do realize it from a ?stuff? point of view.

I need to remember it more from ?life in general? point of view.

I also need to make note of what does make me happy.

Here are some things that help me to feel happy and content.

• laughing with my girlfriend
• the ocean/the beach
• my son
• nature
• music/dancing
• seeing little kids laugh
• the chipmunk that I feed in the driveway
• blogging and blog comments
• animals

I have at various times in my life felt a bit lost and a bit out of place. Like I do not fit in so this doesn?t help.

Add in a healthy dose of low self esteem and a giant freak head and you have a recipe for wondering about stuff.

That?s to make Tammy laugh.

Anyway.

I am not sure about the idea that happiness comes from within.

I mean I do get that and that happiness is a choice.

I do get to choose my attitude for the day.

Life is 10% what happens and 90% how we respond to it.

I just need to remember that and concentrate on the moments that actually help me to feel happy.

It would make me super happy if you would share your thoughts in the comments.

Thanks and have an awesome day.

?Live simply ?

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