What is happiness?
If you ask positive psychology researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky, happiness is "the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one's life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile." (You can watch her speak HERE.)
After Redditor Think-Tale-8719 asked, "People who absolutely love their lives, what's your story?" people told us how they got to where they are and what they do to maintain it.
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere..."
My grandfather gave me a pocket watch when I was young and I fell in love with the combination of art and science in watchmaking. My parents bought me books, I read online, and I learned everything I could about watches and watchmaking. At 16 I landed an internship at a jewelry store near my hometown and started replacing batteries and sizing watch bracelets. I decided that I wanted to be a watchmaker and high school wasn't going to help me get there, so I graduated early and went to watchmaking school.
Now I work as a watchmaker in that same jewelry store, now in my own workshop, repairing and restoring primarily Rolex. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else doing anything else.
"I fully expected..."
I used to weigh 550+ pounds. I fully expected that the rest of my life would be spent alone and uncomfortable. A doctor convinced me to try bariatric surgery. I lost 350+ pounds and now I'm out in the rocky mountains climbing mountains for fun.
My low expectations still haven't adjusted though, so every day is so much better than anything I could ever have hoped for.
"I'm eight years sober..."
I'm eight years sober and have severe depressive disorder. I was drinking to self medicate for my depression that I didn't really think I had in active addiction. If I take my meds and don't drink, everyday I wake up is the best day of my life.
"Always have something to work towards..."
Married my best friend.
Got into a career I was sort of passionate about, not my number one choice in the world but it's good.
I plan out my weekends so I have things every week to look forward to. I have goals in my hobbies to work towards thats a huge one.
Always have something to work towards in your personal life. I am trying to make a dining room set with woodworking and want to eventually have most of the furniture and stuff in my house made by me.
"Stay blessed!"
I grew up poor. Poor like sometimes not having heat through the winter or enough food as a kid, was homeless as a teen and struggled all through my 20's with mental health issues and creating stability. My kids have a middle class upbringing and I'm so grateful to be able to give them that. I'm grateful for everything. When it's raining, I thank God for the roof over my head, heat in the winter, my bed at night. I'm not rich by any means but am so happy to be where I am.
Thank you for the award kind stranger! And many thanks for all the love on this thread. My faith is everything and I give all the thanks to The Most High!
Stay blessed!
"We became really good friends."
Met a cute redhead whose personality is almost the exact opposite of mine (outgoing, bubbly, connects very well with all types of other people). We became really good friends. We started dating about two years later. We got married about eight months after that. We've had some struggles (mostly because of my own inability to communicate effectively), but we are very happy together now, over twenty years later.
"Waited rather than settled."
Waited rather than settled. Dumped a lot of okay guys, left a lot of okay (and not so okay) jobs, moved a lot, was lucky to have a baby when the time was finally right. It's taken a lot of tough decisions and hoping for more but it's been worth waiting for.
"I have a myriad..."
I'm depressed, I have a myriad of incurable physical and mental problems, but god dammit, I get to see my favourite person every day, and I have a job that isn't hard and pays relatively well for someone who doesn't need to be self sufficient. I love my life, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
"That's pretty much it."
My life has been pretty awesome since I was 16 (I'm 40). It was pretty weird before that.
I've had a lot of good luck. At 16, some of the bad things left my life. My education improved. I married the right person. I managed to be moderately successful at something that fits my lifestyle (I've never not had enough money). I'm self-employed. My kids are easy, intelligent and fun. I have lots of fun hobbies. I still have most of my friends from growing up and continually add new ones. And I'm sill close to my dad.
That's pretty much it. I do actually pray every morning for peace for myself, my family, and others. And amazingly, I have a lot of peace in my life.
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