Happiness

I've been thinking of what happiness truly means for quite some time. Many people, myself included sometimes, believe that happiness can be found in that pursuit of the next "thing." For example, I had an obsession with purchasing a Wii for several months and stalked stores, websites, etc., for consoles. Would I die if I did not find one? Would my friends and family think less of me if I did not own one? Nope to both questions. But I *had* to have one because I believed it would make me happy to get one. Care to guess how many times in the past four months I have turned it on? ONCE. Care to guess how many games I have purchased (and accessories) in the past four months? Two games and their accessories. Pathetic. Have these purchases caused happiness in my life? Absolutely not.

So where does happiness come from? Inside? So how do you "get happy" if you are not naturally happy? What does happy really mean? Is it always smiling? Is it always being positive? (I'm getting a Pollyanna vibe here, right?) Perhaps this is why the self-help industry is booming? Or therapists are so difficult to get appointments with?

I have lots to chew on, and this question of happiness may become my latest obsession. Any self-help books out there worth reading to find the answer?

Oh, and I may have a Wii for sale...