How do you look for happiness?

How do you look for happiness?

I post this question in the General Psychology section because I'd like to draw comparisons between the answers and the answerer's types. This is because I enjoy noticing patterns and seeing them being reflected. This is a hard question, but hopefully that won't stand in your way. Basically what I ask you is to look inside, notice all that gets you both excited and troubled about this world, and see how you try to cope with that in your own way to find eventual happiness.

Immanuel Kant, the philosopher makes a point that happiness can only really be found or stumbled upon rather than achieved through a conscious effort.

I might be misunderstanding him, it was late and I did read through this bit of writing very quickly, but this is what I understood by his writings.

I myself just had a rather significant realisation of the importance of happiness and that I am not happy enough. I put up a facade of melancholy and solemnity because of what seems to be a self-confidence issue that I am yet to unravel. It is because of this facade that I do not spend much time in the state of happiness. I realise now that this is an imbalance that I am in need of having rectified in me.

I was about to create a thread asking how I can be more happy.. er.. or something, and then came across this thread. I might still make the thread, but thought I should post here first.

I like me when I am happy. I make jokes and do funny stuff and entertain people and make people happy etc. Regretfully I am like this quite infrequently though.

This may not be a real answer to your question at all, so I apologise for that. Basically, I affirm your question :)

Happiness really is a state of mind for me. Learning how to not take some things too seriously, especially the self :) Sometimes it's easier, more convenient (not sure) to see yourself unhappy, find reason not to be, instead of all the way around. Happiness really demands a change in yourself, not as much as in environment...
Happiness is like love, we can learn how to be better at both.

by being grateful for every experience

I see happiness as a mindset and something I can create, rather than something I find. It's created in my mind and created by me seeking out what I love.

Happiness is one of those things that has a different meaning to differnt people. To me happiness not something that exist outside of me. It is not something that I can get up and go after it. Happiness is something that I create inside myself at will. I have expermented with it over the years and have found that even in the most depressed mood (and I have been below the rock bottom), I can still create a measure of happiness inside me. When things are good in life than I can create even greater happiness. Happiness comes from within me based on my thought pattern. That is how I experence it anyway.

Ok so I'll be a comformist and say the usuall...true happines lies within us, but of course is not easy to reach.
I believe people try to find happines mush too often in material world, and they get pleasure from it and get happy. But does that happiness really last? Things get old, some fade away and you are left with only some junk and no interior happiness.
I haven't found my happiness, though I'm on a constant search of it. I'm not saying that I'm unhappy or anything...but I do know myself so much that I know what will make me happy. And that is gain objective and subjective knowledge about things that suround us which will bring real understanding and meaning to life. I see happiness as accepting yourself just the way you are, but of course never letting go of chances to imrpove yourself as a person.

I saw this Korean series one day. The movie series was about a women which her husband cheated on her with her best friend.

So in one scene, the women and her best friend was having lunch together, and her best friend asked her.
BFF: "Are you happy with your marriage?"
Women: "I feel comfortable."
BFF: "But are you happy?"
Women: *chuckled* "I feel comfortable. It's like being in a hot tub, bathing. Happiness come and go, so I won't rely myself on that."

I think the most important thing for me is comfort and peace. When I love someone, the answer for "Do I really want him?" question lies on the answer for "Do I feel comfortable to be myself and felt peaceful when I'm with him?" question.

I see happiness and sadness like the wind blows or the wheel rolls. They come and go as they wish. But even when I'm sad, the comfort and peaceful feelings remains still.

When I was younger I use to think my happiness was based on something outside myself - relationships, the next big "event", friendships etc. As I've gotten older I realize that happiness is found within myself. It's all in how I choose to react to life, the opportunites, the lack of opportunity etc. Even recently I've finally given myself the permission to say, "I love my life"!

For myself, happiness comes from within. "Inner peace" is something that I strive for everyday of my life.