If you are happy and you know it...

Have you ever wondered if you are happy?

Most people have nice things happen every once in a while, but does that make us happy? Material comforts are convenient, but we all probably know affluent people who are miserable.

I think happiness boils down to two basic concepts:

We are happiest when we do things that are good for us. We are happy when we are grateful for what we have.

Temperance, exercise, healthful eating, and spiritual practice might be components in a happy life, but before all the doing comes the thinking.

I just came across one of Sarah Knight's brilliant foul mouthed masterpieces about happiness. She focuses on determining what you want and taking care of yourself.

How can you be happy if you don't know what what you want?

How many people sit down to figure out what they want in order to be happy? Maybe lots of people -- I didn't. I made some good choices (college, stable relationships, etc), but I haven't really thought about what makes me happy. I kind of bounced around in a lucky way.

January will be dedicated to the happy process: what determines happiness, routes to happiness, and spreading happiness. Sometimes this might be a little profile about someone, but mostly I'll just talk about myself. This isn't going to be Gretchen Rubin style happiness -- yes we know we are happier when our clothes are folded and we eat our leafy greens. Instead, I want to spend time thinking about how to fully appreciate being happy (or how to become happier). I'm going to chart a start-where-you-are, move-at-your-own-pace, go-in-your-own-direction kind of happy. My happy (married, 3 kids, small house, 10 month job at an elementary school) might sound like someone else's punishment, and I'm ok with that. This isn't about using a life template; it's about the thought and action required to take responsibility for one's own happiness.

I hope we can all clap our hands when we're done.