There is no universal definition of what constitutes happiness.

Wikipedia defines happiness as “a mental or emotional state of well-being categorized by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy”. In turn, Aristotle defined happiness as “the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence”.

In reality, happiness is an emotion and each person will contribute different meaning to it. For some, happiness means financial wealth, for others being in a loving relationship, being a parent or spending quality time with children, family and friends. It may also mean achieving a particular goal or having successful career.

As it is an emotion, we  should be able to explain it logically and to control it.  Happiness is probably best described as n emotional reward for achieving a certain status or a state of well-being in life. Therefore, we need to find what will provide us with that positive energy and work on ensuring it happens.

Then, naturally, the conclusion is that happiness is making a decision to follow a path to a particular end result, and then believing that you can achieve the desired outcome.  “It isn’t who you are, where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.” – Dale Carnegie

Hence, find your inner-self, gather the strength to stick to your guns and overcome obstacles and, once you are done, you are bound to find happiness.  If not, then you were not true to yourself regarding your desired end result.  Unfortunately, we are often not strong enough to see beyond the barriers and thus deny ourselves the emotion we are so desperate to feel.