Monday, April 2, 2012

Happiness

Please respond to the following prompts: I expect you to to ask an open-ended critical level question at the end of your response that may prompt someone else. I also expect you to react to one other's comment within your own reflection. Make sure you are being thoughtful and discerning.

What constitutes happiness in life? What do you need to be happy? What should drive and push us? What might blind us from becoming happy?

41 comments:

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  2. Something that constitutes happiness in life is someone’s attitude. I firmly believe that without a positive attitude towards what you are doing in life, it isn’t going to make you happy. If you don’t like doing something, then don’t do it if it doesn’t make you happy. Negativity in life is something that makes it harder to be happy and enjoy yourself. In order to be happy, you need people around you that care about you. They can support you and help you grow and have fun. Our ambitions should drive and push us. Our ambitions should be something that we enjoy and want to do because it makes us happy. I think that false ambitions could blind us from being happy. They make it so that we spend all of our time doing something and trying to succeed in something we don’t truly enjoy.

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    1. I agree with Jessica on this that it is ultimately dependent upon our own attitude that determines whether or not were happy. If you don't enjoy doing something, then don't do it. If you have to do something, go at it with a better attitude and you will ultimately get a more enjoyable experience out of it.

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    2. I agree with Jessica as well. Our ambitions drive us and push us to be successful in life to our own standards. If we succeed in our own eyes, thats what makes us truly happy.

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  3. I believe that being surrounded by loved ones and doing what you want to do what ever that may be constitutes happiness in ones life. Not every one has the same type of happiness, i mean that people have different interests that inspire them to do something or follow what you admire and live for, its something that you wake up in the morning and have a burning desire to do what you live for. For me all i need to be happy is having family and pursuing goals in life. What blinds us from becoming happy is when we lose sight of what is important to us and stop pursuing activities that you like. i agree with jessica k when she stated that "I firmly believe that without a positive attitude towards what you are doing in life, it isn’t going to make you happy." this is true and without a good outlook on life nothing will seem good enough.

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    1. I agree with what you say colten, I believe happiness is doing what you love and the one thing that can make you forget about all your troubles in life.

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    2. I agree with Colton’s thoughts on happiness because like him, I agree that everyone needs to find their own different desires and ambitions to maintain their own true happiness.

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  4. I believe that happiness comes within a person's attitude. Attitude and the way life is lived varies with different people. Some people make the best of it while others make the worst. True happiness can come from numerous things such as family, friends, or activities. The little things in life make a major impact in a person which can leave them with a big smile because sometimes actions from the heart say a lot. People need to think in a positive manner and whenever there is conflict, to stay strong and make the best of it to remain happy. The biggest motive for keeping people happy is the fact that le seems so much better and you make a bigger impact on friends and family. Life seems to favor you and that is the way life should be. What blinds us from happiness could be that some people are not mentally strong and get down easily. Sometimes when there are tough times people tend to forget about the good times and feel hopeless. I agree with Colton's comments on happiness because he says that some people find happiness in their loves or passions which is why they get motivated and is a good way to live. Do you think there is only one perspective of happiness?

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    1. I agree with Eduardo when he says happiness comes from a persons attitude. You can choose to be happy based on how motivated you are and how you react to situations. Can people mistake money for happiness?

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  5. What constitutes happiness in life is doing things that you love and surrounding one's self with positive people and those whom you love. A person doesn't need much to be happy. I feel like friends, family, a roof over your head, and doing something that is enjoyable is all you need in order to be happy. Competitive people definitely drive me and pushes me to always to better. Everyone has a limit and if everyone wanted to be incredibly successful then they would push themselves past that limit. Being stuck in the moment of things can stop people from being happy. Worry about others more then one's self can be included in that. Most of all, looking on the negative side of things will always make someone unhappy. We think so much about being successful that we chose differently than we would if we did what made us happy. Is being happy more important then being successful?

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    1. I agree with Sammi because I also believe involving yourself with positive people creates true happiness in one's life. And I do believe happiness is more important than being successful however many people have the misunderstood idea that success and money buys happiness.

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    2. I believe you are successful if you are leading a happy life. Success should not be measured by money, titles, or material things, but rather by the happiness we feel as well as the happiness we bring to others.

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  6. I believe happiness comes from within. It is all based on your attitude and how you interperate situations. Happiness is all about being positive and having a good outlook on life. Whenever your dealt with a bad situation or things in life aren't going well, its up to you to see the glass half full and persevere and be an optomistic person. I also believe success is a big part of happiness. If you do well in life and succeed, then you will have self pride and feel accomplished. You don't need money to be happy but it definitly reduces the stress in your life if you never need to worry about bills to pay. I think we should be driven from within and do what you love in life to have a happy successful life and be as positive as you can everyday.

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    1. I agree with tommy because having a good outlook on life really does make a difference. If you think life is just a roller coaster with more downs then up, you will not want to try to find something that will make you happy because you think it will just be another let down.

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    2. I agree with Tommy and Elisabeth. Having a positive outlook or just an overall positive attitude in life can really bring happiness to your life. Not only will you be happy but it is easier to bring happiness to others. Nobody likes a Debbie Downer!

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  7. Happiness begins with a person's surroundings. Associating yourself with positive and happy people will carry on and feed into you. I beleive that the media today is ruining all views on true happiness. Today it is shown on t.v that the more money you have, the happier you will be. This idea has greatly been distorted and I disagree with it entirely. I believe the true source of happiness is having family and friends who are there for you, doing activities you love to do, and having a career that you enjoy doing. Whether this brings success and money is just an extra. If people need to buy materialistic items to create happiness then they are not truely happy. Why are there many stories about people winning the lottery and then soon going broke and some even committing suicide?

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    2. I agree with you Blake that the idea of money buys happiness is a distorted idea put on by corporations to create business. The media today does ruin the views of true happiness as well. People say it is bad to overlook things. That is why staying busy is a positive thing. If you have too much free time, or down time, then that can create room for over analyzing events in your life which may cause you to be unhappy, especially if what you do in your life causes you already to be unhappy.

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  8. I believe that happiness comes from doing something that you have passion for and something that makes you feel like nothing else matters in the world. Happiness also comes from being surrounded by ones you love and having a great attitude. If you have an attitude that you can accomplish and overcome anything than that’s what is going to happen and vice versa. You could easily be deterred from happiness by having a poor attitude and not caring. Also, quitting things is not good as well because if you quit a sport or an activity then you will get into that habit and mindset and quit more things ultimately affecting your attitude negatively.
    Is your happiness more important than how much money you make and what you items you have?

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  9. What constitutes happiness in life to me, is the feeling of equally being wanted and needed as well as needing and wanting something or someone in return. Things like material goods and self awareness do not make people "happy" for very long. The things that I myself require to feel happy include a comfortable living space, food, water, at least one person whom I can fully trust to be my complete self around, and frequent solitude. What I think should drive and push people is the desire to make others happy selflessly. The things that frequently blind people from becoming happy are things such as: jealousy, greed, hatred, and pride.
    While on the some people may seem to be looking for money, recognition, or other things that may make them seem jealous, or greedy, they still seek to be happy just like the rest of us. So, why will people do virtually anything to become happy even if it inhibits themselves?

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  11. What constitutes to being happy is loving what your doing and not regretting things in life. In order to be happy I think that you don’t need much. Money can’t but you happiness (although it can help) but love and having someone always there can make the saddest person happy. Competition and the thought that you can fail is what drives me. I never want to be the failure of the bunch so that thought alone keeps me going. Competition can also blind us because we can be so focused on that moment and winning that we forget who we may be hurting in the process and forget about the outcome of it all. No matter what age we are we always have dreams of things we want to do that make us happy, but most people never end up doing the things that the want. What stops us from achieving those dreams that make us happy?
    I agree with Conner and what he believes constitutes to happiness. Passion can really change someone and keep him or her alive inside and no matter what people say about it, if you have the passion you wont care.

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  12. I believe that happiness begins and ends with yourself. You alone can decide your happiness and whether or not it is affected by other people. If you are comfortable with who you are and do the things that you enjoy doing, you can find happiness. For me, I am a person who often depends on other people to create my happiness and I usually end up disappointed. We have to look within ourselves in order to discover what makes us happy, and once we have found it, do it. I think that its human nature to find a drive that benefits ourselves and our well being, and I don't think that's always a bad thing. Sometimes you need to push yourself for your benefit and what will make you a better person and lead a happier more fulfilling life. These things should be something were passionate for. Not something our friends or our teachers or parents are passionate for, but something that creates a fire within you and gives you that drive to accomplish better things. I think that if we ultimately find what that is and pursue it, we will find bliss in our lives.

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    1. I agree with this because that's also how I feel. If you surround youself with people that you enjoy and fill your head with positive thoughts and feelings then you will be happy. I also agree with her that you have to look within yourself and really figure out what truly makes you happy and then persue those things and try to be the best you can do and follow your dreams.

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  13. I think that happiness is constituted by your family and friends and loving what you are doing. It also helps to be positive because then you will have something to make up for some of the not so good things in life. You honestly do not need anything to be happy, but it is easier to be happy when you are in good health and are not worrying about money. Something that should drive us is bettering ourselves and helping others. Your family or the people in your life also have a big factor in driving us. Things that might blind us from being happy can also be your family and friends because if the people around you are unhappy how can you be happy? Money also binds you from happiness because everyone thinks that money buys you happiness. People strive for a promotion just for the money even if they don’t like their jobs. Do you think that most people put their own happiness on hold just to make others happier?

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    1. I agree, I think that ultimately all we need to be happy is the people we love most. I don't think we need money or anything bought to become happy. I think that in a way a lot of people put their own happiness on hold to make others happy because we are always trying to make someone else proud of something we did when we really need to focus on making ourselves proud of our accomlishments and being happy for ourselves.

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  14. Many people argue that money can’t buy happiness, but in some ways it can. Money can allow a person to pursue an activity that they are passionate about, whereas they could not participate in that activity if they didn’t have money. The money itself does not elicit happiness, but it provides a path to attain happiness. Products, however, usually only bring temporary happiness. The newest iPod or game initially makes you excited and happy, but it will eventually lose its charm and, inevitably, be replaced by the next new fad.

    I agree with many of the comments above: positive relationships with those you love and activities you are passionate about bring about the most happiness. I also think that you need truth to be happy. Oftentimes, people are blinded by their need to fit in, so they hide who they are in order to conform to society. I agree that the media holds a large role in influencing this behavior. When people mask their true selves, their relationships are usually shallow and the people involved do not feel the same happiness that they feel when talking to a friend with whom they are completely honest with. Loving what you do and who you’re with is the best way to be happy in life.

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  15. People have tried to find the recipe to happiness in life for ages. They think that there is a specific blend that will give you the happiest life possible, but it's not always true because everyone is different. Some people believe that happiness can be found by becoming rich, while others only need a loving family. For the most part I think that there is one specific ingredient that brings happiness into peoples lives, love. Life is tough, but being surrounded by people who you love, and who love you back, it keeps you pushing on through the hard times until you reach a happier time. For me, happiness comes into my life through nature, friends, family, food, and music. Without these key components I know my life wouldn't be as great as it is right now. Our hopes and dreams should drive and push us on through our lives. Without any hopes or dreams what do you have to live for? For me I know that others opinions keep me from becoming happy. People today, much like myself, focus too much on what others think about us. We are always trying to please everyone, and we forget who we are and what we want out of life. Can the constant search for acceptation blind us from everyday's gift of happiness?

    I agree with Hannah when she talks about how happiness begins and ends with yourself. You truly decide how happy your life will be. If you expect life's happiness to be given to you, you are wrong. You have to work or find the things that make you truly happy. No one else knows what your happiness recipe is except yourself.

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  16. I think that your attitude and people around you make you happy. I feel like if you are positive and fill your mind with good thoughts that you will be a happier person. If you are always down on yourself and think negative thoughts then that is how you will feel about life. However, if you are happy with what you have and yourself, you will feel good about life and be happy. Also, I think that the people around make you happy because they are your friends and family. You can talk to them and many of the best memories I have are with my friends when we are just goofing off and laughing. I think that to be happy you have to have good, positive thoughts, a level head, and surround yourself with people that lift you up and make you a better person. I think that a lot of people struggle to be happy and what I’ve noticed is that the harder you look, the harder it is to find and that sometimes you just have to go along with life and you will find and be happy once you realize that it’s not about how much money you have. I think that money can blind us from being happy because a lot of people think that if they have more money they will be happier. However I do believe money can make you feel more secure and then lead to happiness but money is not a source of happiness alone.

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  17. I think that in order to be happy we need to surround ourselves with the people we love and cherish most. We can achieve happiness by staying positive and not getting down on ourselves. You need to surround your self with happy, positive and uplifting people because their attitude affects you and you act. I think that we can be driven to happiness by being succesful and focusing on our success and achievments. If we are successful in life then ultimately we are happy. Families can also push us to be happy because I think that our families want the best for us and for our lives to be the best that they can. I think somethings that can blind us from being happy are the things we get invovled with that changes our lives for the worst and having a negative attitude and out look on life. A simple smile can affect a persons attitude. I think often we look at people who are overly happy and joyed about life and think to ourselves how could they be living such a happy life. I have realized that those types of people always find the positves to any situation and always look at the bright side when a lot of us focus on the negatives. Do you think people shield themselves from being happy and wanting to find happiness?

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    1. This is a great question Kacie I believe that people do truly shield themselves from happiness because they are stuck in their way of life and do not want to change.

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  18. I think that there are many things that create happiness. One thing that creates the most happiness in my life is family. Coming home to people that truly care about you and what you do in life. They are there to support you in good and also bad times. They help you with some of the hardest decisions you will ever have to make in your life. Something that you need to be happy would be a good attitude on life. I think that if you aren't positive about your life you will not be happy. If you focus on the negatives in life than you will not be happy. All you will think about are the things that you don't like and that affects your happiness. If you focus on the positives you will always be happy because you are focused on things that make you happy. There are many things that should push us to be happy. Having a good future in order to have a future that you want for yourself you must be truly happy with what you have done in the past. Making the right decisions so that you are happy not only at that certain moment but also in your future. You must be happy in order to truly achieve your goals in life and be happy as you grow old. Some things that may blind us from happiness are the people around us in our life. If you surround yourself with negative people or people that put you down that can blind us from really being happy. People that put you down but you are such good friends with them you will not leave but this creates an unhappy life for you.

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  19. I think that achieving happiness comes through a different route for everybody, therefore it is hard to say what is vital to obtain it. You don't need anything in particular, it all depends on the type of person you are. For me, happiness comes through achieving my goals, and helping others to achieve theirs. To be happy I think you need to prove to yourself that you have succeeded, and in doing so, your life will feel fulfilled. True happiness comes from having a positive enough outlook to see your mistakes and having the will power to try again to reach your ultimate goal.

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  20. Happiness is:

    A bowl of Moose Tracks ice cream

    My dog when I give him a treat

    A Saturday afternoon nap

    Nature

    Getting into cold sheets when it’s hot

    Helping others

    A warm towel fresh from the dryer.

    Home

    Laying in the grass, looking at the stars

    Summer

    Laughter with friends

    Sand volleyball

    Snow Days

    Hot Chocolate with marshmallows

    Sitting by a camp fire

    The sound and smell of rain

    A favorite song

    Family

    Faith

    “Money can’t buy happiness” is often a phrase that people throw around. I believe this is true because the greatest pleasures in life come from the simplest things that are priceless. The foundation for happiness comes from within. Life is mostly mental and when people think positively and learn to appreciate everything from a bowl of Moose Tracks ice cream to spending time with family, they will find happiness. Often what holds us back and prevents us from happiness is not living in the moment and appreciating all aspects of life. We often get caught up in our to do lists, goals and obligations. John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” What holds us back from happiness is not appreciating the here and the now. Living in the moment, focusing on the simple things, and having a positive attitude are three of the most important aspects of leading a happy life. So ultimately, do you find happiness or does happiness find you?

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  21. Something that constitutes happiness in life is definitely surrounding yourself with family and friends you love and always perusing the dreams and goals you have. Doing so will enhance your overall attitude of life and you will begin to look at the glass half full. To be happy you first must be comfortable in your own skin, which means accepting the pros and cons life throws at you. Now you can express yourself and search for your purpose in this world. Love and fear should drive and push us because these two emotions are deeply individual and powerful for everyone and can help us create character and build confidence over time. Money can blind someone from becoming happy because they might be doing something that stresses them out just to earn more money. They can easily become self interested and their attitude on life can therefore shift. Can a person stay happy even if they feel like they have lost everything?

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  22. In my life, happiness is constituted by the people I surround myself with, my family, my dog, food, swimming, and much more. To be happy, I believe that the main thing people need is to be able to love and to receive love from others. I think that you have to want to be happy though, and look at the positives in life and not the negatives. I do not think that happiness is given to everyone because there are definitely hard times in life, but I think the way you deal with the situations and the people you surround yourself with are what truly make you happy. I think that goals and motivation should push people towards happiness. Everyone should want something in life, whether it is in a sport or academically or elsewhere. Everyone should push towards accomplishments because anything that makes people happy is what they should do and try to pursue in order to reach true happiness. I think that the media has a large effect on our opinions and how we live our everyday life. Media should not influence us as much as it does and not play a large role in happiness. Being rich and famous does not automatically make you happy. I agree with what Hannah Dreier said about happiness beginning and ending with yourself. I think that in life, you need to make yourself the first priority and make yourself happy above all else. How do you make yourself happy in life?

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  23. Happiness is enjoying what your doing, all the time. If you aren't happy, you shouldn't be doing it or you are doing it wrong. Happiness for me is making music and performing. To be happy all you really need is the drive or motivation. That can honestly be the hardest part; Once you can find the motivation to do something, the rest comes easily and naturally. I also agree with Kelly when she says that happiness can also be who you surround yourself with. being surrounded by people who are always down or don't respect you can ruin any activity or sport. but being surrounded by those who think alike and act alike can make some of the best memories and experiences. These people can also drive and push you into really striving for something, such as going to the gym or practicing. sometimes personal drive just isn't enough and you need someone else to give you that extra nudge. My question regarding motivation is this: What is the dividing line between having fun all the time, and setting yourself up to have fun in the future? for example, studying sucks but you have to do it so you can have fun in college. When is it apropriate to drop the fun to set yourself up for success in the future?

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  24. In life I think happiness is enjoying life with family and friends and having a positive outlook on life. Often I think people are to negative about everything, even little things. I honestly believe that you can find happiness in your life by just being positive. I also believe that the people you surround yourself with can bring you happiness too. In our world today people think that having a lot of money will bring happiness and that is all they need. I think what you need to be happy is good, fun people that your love spending time with. I think that we should set goals to drive and push us. I know that nothing feels better than reaching one of your set goals and it is a great way to drive people to success. often I think money and material things blind us from happiness. Why do people worry so much about material possessions rather than being truly happy?

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  25. What constitutes happiness in life is something an individual does that makes them feel good about themselves and the actions they take. What I need to be happy is a social environment in which I can interact with people that may share my hobbies or interests or even teach me about their own hobbies and interests. I think the force behind self-motivation or for building up a drive should be competition. If someone is better than you at any particular thing, than that causes people to improve on themselves to earn the same. Although, there is such thing as too much drive, it is when no matter how much you improve or how much you earn it is still not enough. Too much drive is what might blind any person from becoming happy. Life is all about balance but is that what makes people happy?

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  26. Happiness is constituted by the feeling you get when you know nothing is wrong in the world. Happiness is that feeling of pure high, and it will last depending on your attitude. What makes me happy is when I see someone I care about having a great time, when I know I did something, or when people make me laugh so hard I have to go pee! You need something that inspires you or makes you who you are to make you happy. You need people who can make you smile and laugh like there is no tomorrow. Many things can blind us from being happy and a major one is our attitude. Sometimes we can just be so angry or sad to ruin it. I know when I don't feel happy I am usually some other emotion that is the opposite of happiness. So my question is do emotions ruin or help people realize what true happiness is?

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  27. I think that living your life to the fullest and being with the people you love is what constitutes to happiness in life. If you don’t love what you are doing and you don’t love who you are doing it with then what is the point? Helping others is another thing that I believe equates to happiness in your life. Knowing that you were a light in someone else's life and that you were able to make them happy always leaves you feeling happy as well. In order to be happy I think you just have to surround yourself with the right people. It you are constantly bombarded with negative people that bring you down you will not be happy. You need to surround yourself with positive air and positive influences. Things that you are passionate about should drive and push you. If you are not passionate about anything you will never long for anything and you will never break you barriers in order to risk yourself for what you love. If you are living by material goods, money and making a name for yourselves you will never truly be happy. Sure theses things may make you feel more secure but they are not the source of happiness alone.

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