What will make you happy?

[ViolentGandhi]

But I yearn for that compliment. I feel truly happy when someone else pats me on the back or says "Wow thats pretty cool". I realize this, and now I'm trying to do things where I don't really care what other people think, but it's really difficult.

[adsman]

You are only ever truly free when you are independent of the good opinion of other people.

Remember that. Practice having days where you don't care what anyone thinks. It doesn't mean you act like a prick. It just means that you're not searching for instant gratification appraisal.

Because that's what it is. Your ego thinks that if people tell you that you're OK, then you are, and thus you don't have to change. Gettit?

[Jason Strasser (strassa2)]

For me, happiness comes from peace of mind, freedom, and the ability to share it with others. Recently I've been having more peace of mind then ever before. I learned to not worry about things I cant control and to also control my emotions (take a step back in a heated situation) as I got better as a poker player because those are skills you have to develop. Poker has given me some financial freedom, but in terms of 'free' I am a fulltime student and next year I work 70 hours/wk at an investment bank and will likely not have much time for myself.

Sharing it with others--I had a gf for 3 years, now im single. But I share a lot of my ups and downs with my close friends @ college and although a nice woman in my life wouldnt hurt, I feel like I'm at least not a loner.

-Jason

[ViolentGandhi]

[ QUOTE ]
Your ego thinks that if people tell you that you're OK, then you are, and thus you don't have to change. Gettit?

[/ QUOTE ]

This statement is very profound. This really made something click in my head.

[JaBlue]

Yeti,
With regards to the whole girlfriend thing: for me at least, this is something that has the power of making me consistently happy more than just about anything else. Currently with a fantastic girl I've been seeing for 3 months. She is not what I had formerly imagined as my dream girl but being with her is great.

Other things that make me happy are my best friends and challenging myself.

[The X-Factor]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Behind every good man there is a woman.

[/ QUOTE ]

I usually prefer my woman in front of me in a variety of positions, but to each his own.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know you were just joking but I think this saying is very true, on many levels. Yeti's OP made think of this in state of all this deep discussion.

[limon]

[ QUOTE ]
Working hard for something I really enjoy or deem important and overcoming challenges seem to do the trick for me but my contentedness is never long-lasting. I have a really nice girlfriend but she is causing me as much joy as pain, mostly
because she is not "perfect".
Maybe happiness is a product of evolution and doing things that help you passing on your genes make you happy.
Which is basically having children and securing their future.
The process of acquiring power and wealth for example should make you happy.
Being lazy or being surrounded by people you perceive as superior will most likely make you unhappy.
We always compare ourselves to others which is likely to be depressing in the information age. Most people dont look like a movie star, are as successful as Steve Jobs or as smart as Stephen Hawking.

[/ QUOTE ]

i look like stephen hawking and am as smart as a movie star. ill probably be as successful as steve jobs after he gets thrown in jail for backdating options.

[4_2_it]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Behind every good man there is a woman.

[/ QUOTE ]

I usually prefer my woman in front of me in a variety of positions, but to each his own.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know you were just joking but I think this saying is very true, on many levels. Yeti's OP made think of this in state of all this deep discussion.

[/ QUOTE ]

There is a lot of truth to that saying, though I can still see someone with a good woman behind him being unhappy. Happiness comes from the inside. The external stimuli required will be different for each of us.

I was thinking about this thread on the drive into work. The context I used was, "If I dropped dead at my desk today, how would I rate my life." As I pondered this, I realized that I was smiling...............

[BukNaked36]

What will make you happy?

1. Confidence in yourself.
- Believing that you are doing the right thing. You're at least attempting to reach your own personal potential. You're accomplishing what you should - a good job at work, being financially responsible, taking care of yourself physically, trying to improve yourself, and you're treating others as you would like to be treated.

2. People.
-Positive, fullfilling relationships with people you care about - wife, kids, family, friends.

[FoxwoodsFiend]

I'm pretty much satisfied right now but I feel that I won't be really happy until I either get a serious girlfriend or find a job that I find intellectually stimulating and not overly stressful. I look at my dad who truly loves his job as a finance professor (weird, I know) and I realize that if you're doing something you love it gives you a sense of purpose and meaning. Obviously most jobs people get aren't that fulfilling but I feel that there might be some out there that I'll eventually enjoy (such as being a professor, a pundit, or some other job that you guys might think sucks but is perfectly in line with what I see myself doing).

If I end up working a job like investment banking, lawyering, or going into any of the fields I see my friends going into, I think that no matter how good my family life is I'll always feel a bit empty on the inside.