“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony“. -Mahatma Gandhi

Are you a happy person?

That’s a hard question to answer, isn’t it?

Happiness is elusive for many people, and when it’s most elusive,  it’s usually because we assume it’s someone else’s responsibility to make us happy. And if they don’t then they are at fault, certainly not us.

Recently Greater Good Magazine had a wonderful blog titled “How Much of Your Happiness Is Under Your Control?” Did you know that studies show happiness is the product of 10% biology and genetics, 40% life circumstances, and 50% Intentional Activity — give or take?  That 10% might be tough to change, and sometimes that 40% isn’t strictly under our control. But that 50%? That’s all ours.

So what’s the point? Well, happiness is not someone else’s responsibility. We have the power — barring exceptional circumstances — to create happiness for ourselves.

We can do that by making the following choices (and please do read the blog for details):

• “Choose activities that fit our personality and interests…
• Choose activities that are virtuous and meaningful, rather than obsessing about feeling good all the time…
• Commit to and put effort into the process…
• Add variety into our routine.”…

I would add a fifth choice and that is to follow Mahatma Gandhi’s advice by finding harmony in what we think, what we say, and what we do.

Hopefully, by doing these things the next time someone asks if we’re happy we can say with the utmost confidence, “Darn right!”