Apropos the Happiness Quiz

The other day my friend Barbara popped around after work for a cup of tea. She apologised for not sending her completed quiz back to me but had a couple of queries about it. And this is when my mouth goes dry because Barbara can ask some very probing questions. And I guess this is the right time to make a true confession: “drum roll and trumpets now please” – I don’t have Happiness packaged, in a box, neatly labeled and stored in my psyche - I am working on it though! But let me tell you about our discussion.

Barbs: Isn’t the word Happiness a bit misleading…. What does Happiness actually mean?
Me: Well we can look it up if you like….. but seriously, I think it means many things.
Barbs: Like what? (she was not going to let me off the hook lightly)
Me: Well, I don’t think it means one should run around laughing or smiling all the time – people will get the wrong idea and think you drunk or smoking something. I believe it is a state of wellbeing” or an attitude and many other things beside.
Barbs: My thoughts entirely – if you look at the Happiness Quiz questions they point to things like contentment, being positive, being interested in most things, having understanding, awareness, doing things for others…..
Me: Absolutely. I agree with all you are saying. But I also want to say that being happy is hellava hard work – much more so than being miserable and unhappy with things around you.
Barbs: I have never thought about that before –.
Me: Think about it…. if I want to do something I wont get anywhere if I don’t have positive feeling about it – if I am negative it just wont happen. If I moan about the amount of work etc then it won't happen; If I am not committed to it, it won’t happen; If I want friends to join me for
a party or an outing and don’t put in the effort or send out a good message, the party/outing wont happen….. If I moan about all the work that goes into something they won’t join me either because they won’t want to add to my “burdens”. If don’t create an environment that allows people to relax, be themselves, then I have not made a happy place to be in….. If I had a little shop and moan and bitch at the customers they wont come back and I wont have to work in my
shop anymore. Need I go on…..
Barbs: (laughing) I get the picture…..
Me: And if you are miserable then you don’t have to get involved in stuff… you don’t have to do anything or commit to anything but you can moan like crazy about it.....…. and you don’t have to join in things, probably because by now no one wants you on their side *grin*
Barbs: Hahahaha – yeah, God forbid you should have to do anything…..
Me: And let me tell you something else…. Every since I began to seriously study Happiness
(for 18 months now) I can feel a huge change in how I view the world. I feel incredibly good about things….”stuff”. I could go on about it for ages…. But I wont!

And now, just for Barbara, here is a word cloud with Happiness words.

In case you think I have been sitting here all day doing this, then think again – go to http://www.wordle.net/ and you too can make a own word cloud. Have fun.