The pursuit of happiness

How do you know when you are happy? To know when you have achieved something, you have to know what it looks like when you get there. I once watched a film entitled "Project Happiness." In the documentary three groups of high school students in various parts of the world attempt to define happiness. At the end of the film they visit with the dalai lama and ask him, "What is happiness?" His response is, "I don't know." While the students are somewhat surprised by his answer, it makes sense. We may know what contributes to being happy, but we really don't know what it is per se. That is because it is different for each of us. After the film was over, we were asked what happiness was like for each of us. The common denominator was that happiness occurred when we were giving freely of our gifts and talents often without an expectation of something in return. Each person had shared an event that supported this approach to happiness. It may be less about pursuing happiness and more about knowing what our gifts are and sharing them without reservation. It is being open to those opportunities when we can do this. What does happiness look like for you today?