The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

When we nowadays try to articulate the purpose of our lives, it is to the word happiness we commonly have recourse. We tell ourselves and others that the ultimate rationale for our jobs, our relationships and the conduct of our day to day lives is the pursuit of happiness. It sounds like an innocent enough idea, but excessive reliance on the term means that we are frequently unfairly tempted to exit or at least heavily question a great many testing but worthwhile situations. What distinguishes happiness from fulfilment is pain. It is eminently possible to be fulfilled and – at the same time – under pressure, suffering physically or mentally, overburdened and, quite frequently, in a tetchy mood. This is a psychological nuance that the word happiness makes it hard to capture; for it is tricky to speak of being happy yet unhappy or happy yet suffering. However, such a combination is readily accommodated within the dignified and noble-sounding letters of Eudaimonia.

Life brings us as many joyful moments as it does downfalls, and although there are days we wish there was a manual to follow, it simply wouldn’t be the same without the spontaneity. The journey of life may not become easier as we grow older, but we do seem to understand it better as our perspectives evolve. Whether you’re embarking on a new adventure right out of school or you want to explore different paths in your personal life, it’s never too late to change what the future looks like. Advice from practicing self-love to having a sense of humor to being optimistic never grows old and will surely help you find the push you need to get where you’re going. 

“The purpose of our lives is to be happy,” says the Dalai Lama—and with all the many benefits of happiness, who would disagree? As a result, today we are bombarded with books on happiness, studies (and stories) about happiness, and happiness research of every kind. Research shows that the amount of happiness we experience spreads outward, affecting not just the people we know but also the friends of their friends as well (or three degrees of the famous six degrees of separation). Blue Mind isn’t just about smiling when you’re near the water; it’s about smiling everywhere. 

But what are the things in life that make us happy? This will be different for all of us, but Dolandistilss decades of research into happiness into a useful soundbite – happiness is experiencing pleasure and purpose over time. The key, therefore, is to nudge our attention to the things in our lives that give us pleasure and purpose. Do that, and we experience happiness. 

Paulo Coelho once said, "If you can concentrate always on the present, you will be a happy man." Happiness is a very significant word in our lives. We base our lives on this feeling. We make happiness the very purpose of our lives. We believe no matter what we should strive to be a happy human being and I concur with it. Our lives are transitory so we should try to be happy as much as we can. We have life's goals on our list and we try to keep happiness on the top of the list, which I believe is must. 

I would argue that being happy is living true to your values and living with a purpose (beyond making money). Action for Happiness (a movement committed to promoting happiness in society) have a list of 10 keys to happier living. One of these keys is “meaning”. By being connected to something that is bigger than yourself you create more focus in your life. This “bigger thing” is different for everyone but it acts as a true north and should give context to everything you do. Knowing that you’re living your higher purpose will make you happier, even during times of struggle and uncertainty.

When we lack a clear purpose in our life, happiness is a good substitute. But this has one major flaw, happiness is not a goal in itself. It is a byproduct of living. When we pursue our life’s work, we become happy as a result. But what happens when we only pursue happiness as a goal? Will we end relationships that make us angry or unhappy for a moment? Or quit jobs when we become frustrated? 

We all want to live better, more fulfilling, and happier lives. Not surprisingly, here on One Big Happy Life, we’re often asked to share insights on how to live a happy life. Or, asked a different way, whether our family is genuinely as happy as we seem. Well let me assure you that our family is actually this happy! It is something that we work at every day. 

What do we live for? For our happiness? Few of us will admit to that. But really, what do we live for day in and day out? Sometimes we fool ourselves and say that we are not living for our own happiness, but the happiness of our family and friends. But in the end, if our family and friends are happy, then that brings us happiness. When we lose the things that are important to us and make us happy, like the shoemaker’s family, where then is our happiness? 

Much of our personal happiness deals with two main issues in our lives — (1) Finding and fulfilling our purpose and (2) Living a life centered on loving God, ourselves and others. When this happens, we bring incredible gifts into our lives such as joy, love, positive relationships, compassion, meaning and freedom. These are things we can control. We are free will creatures and much of life is the product of our decisions. I'm not talking about happiness in terms of personal tragedy and tornadoes. Those are different subjects all together.