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either by increasing the amount of serotonin in your brain, or by increasing your brain's receptivity to serotonin. However, too much serotonin in your brain
can also create feelings of sadness and unhappiness. Therefore, "chemical happiness" alone can be quite a challenging balancing act in the long-term.

There are as many definitions of happiness as there are people on the planet, each of us having our own personal interpretation of what happiness means to us.
For each and every one of us though, one universal interpretation of happiness seems to apply to us all.

Universal Happiness

Happiness is being your self, the real authentic you. Not the limited self you pretend to be most of the time, but the real you under the layers of
pretence, behind the masks you are forced to wear to protect yourself and others from hurt, pain and criticism. We all want to be loved, liked or
admired for the authentic people we really are. We may wear a mask of courage, or false knowledge and experience to suit the circumstances, we
may even receive recognition and praise for what we achieve whilst wearing the mask, but any such recognition feels hollow because it is directed at the
mask we wear, not the real person behind it.

Becoming Happier

Happiness is a state of mind which can be induced by many means – some result in short term happiness while others result in long lasting happiness. For a
busy person, a practical way to becoming happier is to make steady progress towards meaningful goals. Even though this seems simple, it really is a very
powerful technique to acquire long lasting happiness. Goals may vary from individual to individual, but for everyone, happiness comes from merely making
steady progress towards goals that are meaningful to them. The key is that goals have to be meaningful to YOU. Progress towards someone else’s goals will
not bring your happiness, unless you genuinely desire the same goals. Your goals must align with your values, not those of others.

Happiness is a state of mind which we must take control of for ourselves, and deciding to be happy can be as simple as flipping a coin and saying “Heads I’ll
be happy, tails I’ll be unhappy!”

Any unhappiness we experience is often not as deep rooted as we might think, but simply the flip-side of the coin of happiness. We must allow ourselves the
freedom to accept and experience, that unhappiness and happiness can reside quite contentedly side by side. The thoughts contained in these pages will
hopefully provide you with inspiration for you to make the positive decision to choose happiness.

There is so much suffering in this world; many people don't seem to be as happy as they'd like to be. Those who don't have enough are struggling just to
survive, while those who have all the comforts of life may find themselves becoming self-absorbed, spoiled, or worried about losing what they have.

Many people are living frantic lives, with little time available for simpler pleasures, such as appreciating the beauty of nature, sharing blessed moments with
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loved ones, or quietly appreciating the joy of being alive.