I came up with this great title and then had to figure out how to fill it.  This is my list.  This is my 6 point plan for MY Happiness.  I think that anyone could benefit from it though.  They are in no specific order other than this is how they fell out of my head.

I would like to hear other thoughts on what makes you happy. If I get enough comments I will post a followup with plenty of links.

You have your assignment.  Go.  Read.  Comment.  Be Happy!

1. Be satisfied with yourself. I don’t know how many people actually strive for satisfied with themselves.  There is a huge push in the world to be better.  To be more.  To get into a better situation.  Why can’t we just be satisfied with ourselves?  For the most part I am satisfied with me.  There are things that I want to improve, but I could stay right where I am and be happy.

2.  Kids. I can’t imagine my life without my kids.  As frustrated and as mad as I can get at them, I wouldn’t trade them for anything on the planet.  There is such a content joy that can be had from seeing my kids ride their bikes outside, or play with the dog, or just run, laughing all of the time.  One of my all time favorite memories is of my son at 5 years old, running his heart out (by himself be it noted) pulling his red wagon and laughing like a madman.  I will never lose memories like that.  Knowing that he is that happy because I have given him the ability to run, the wagon to pull, and the house to run in front of , is happiness in itself.

3.  Hobbies Everyone needs something to do besides work.  I have a potload of interests and hobbies but my favorite is fishing.  I could fish all of the time.  Every day.  Most nights.  My wife is sick of me talking about fishing.  She forbade me from taking her fishing for her birthday yesterday.

4. Simplify There is great happiness that can be had from getting rid of the chaff that we accumulate in this life.  Philosophers have always talked about simplifying your life.  Buddhist monks teach themselves to let go of everything and become empty before they can be filled with enlightenment.   Being able to purge all of the crap we had saved over the years, all of the hand me downs for the house and all of the stuff we may “need” is wonderfully freeing.  Living without credit cards saved our butts during the recession of the past couple of years.  Didn’t really affect us at all, and good thing too, Dialysis and a kidney transplant are expensive enough without interest from a credit card.

5. Spouse/Significant Other I know this will be debated but one of the best things in my life is my wife.  I like to have her around, I like to be married.  In our religion we believe that we are forming eternal families here on Earth, and I have found the perfect person to do that with.  We get along well, we are not too hard on each other, and we work well together.  A cornerstone of my Happiness for sure.  We will have been married 12 years in May and dating for 17 in September!

6. Don’t miss the opportunity to teach others.    There is so much to give back that it is impossible to do so.  Take the opportunities as they come to teach others what you know.  Whether it be someone a world away over the internet being taught PHP code or your neighbor that you can teach to change the air filter on his lawn mower so it runs better.  If you can teach your kids to do something doesn’t it make you happy when they can repeat it?  Give as much as you can back to the universe.

This is not a complete and comprehensive post by any means.  Just go and be happy.

-Justin