Three Things That Determine Your Happiness

For one full year I have studied and taken action on "happiness".  I love my life and the variety of interests and activity in it.  Last May I started dance lessons at the Colleyville Senior Center and have only missed 1 weekly session the entire year.  Once a month we go to a "dress up" dance at Swing
Time.  There, I am without a specific partner, but almost never miss a dance because they have dance hosts and a dance where we line up and dance with "whomever" in the chair dance, and because our table of Colleyville dancers reaches out to everyone.  Telling you this to say that it is great fun to learn this new skill.

Another skill that I am working on is my ability to throw an artificial lure into the exact spot I want it in my pond out back.  Some 40 years ago, stocked it with large mouth striper bass, brim, and catfish.  Those bass give you a thrill when they hit the lure.  Have a running competition going on with Son, whether he is here or not, I keep score on my refrigerator.

Relearning to play the card game of Bridge will be next skill learned.

Now, with the above said, I have determined via time with three other women in our meetings over breakfast once a month for a year and holding each other accountable, making a poster on "happiness", reading,  and taking action,  that three things determine our happiness:
  1.  When you develop the maturity to understand that you have the right to determine who gets to be in your life.  You remove the toxic people out of your life.
  2.  When we have basic skills (competence) to express ourselves intellectually, artistically, politically, and comically.  Learning new things increases happiness.
  3.  When you feel like a person in charge of own life.  When you have the freedom to be your most authentic self, not bound by other's expectations,  you are simply happier.