Happiness...Fact or Fiction?

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If you Google happiness,  this is one of the first things that pop up, and it's from Wikipedia:
"Happiness, gladness or joy is a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources."

As I sit here, listening to the early morning sounds of the lake water lapping at the shores of the cove, hearing the birds, watching the heron skim across the open water looking for breakfast and finally land on the bank, I'm definitely in my "Happy Place"!

So I'm wondering,  why do some people always seem happy and some not?  One of the happiest people I know always responds to the "how are you" question with "Outstanding "!  Does his positive attitude have anything to do with him always appearing to be happy?  Then I think about a woman I know who appears always unhappy.   When you ask her that same question, her response is to tell you about her latest illness, or how bad she feels.    

Is that the difference?   Does positive attitude have that much to do with it?  I  believe it does!  So I'm going to start a Happiness Journal.  Every day I am going to discover something...no matter how bad my day has been, or what has happened...that is good and positive.   Something that will make me happy.  I want to be happy every day!  I  don't want to be that person that everyone dreads talking to because they always seem so miserable and unhappy about everything. Life is to be lived and loved, not dreaded and moaned about.

I  just asked my granddaughters, ages 7 and 10, what makes them happy.  Their answers:  family, the lake, fun, jumping off the dock, early morning fishing, and family meals.  Hear any negativity in there?  Absolutely not. 

Therefore,  I shall approach life like a 7 or 10 year old.  It works for them, why not me?

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