What Does Happiness Mean to You?

Ahead of the International Day of Happiness, we asked 12 mindfulness teachers about the deeper meaning of happiness. Here are some of their answers.

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We often place high value on happiness and the happiness of those around us. But what does being happy actually mean? Ahead of the International Day of Happiness, Mindful asked 12 mindfulness teachers: What does happiness mean to you? Here are their answers. 

Michelle Maldonado Coauthor of A Bridge To Better: An Open Letter To Humanity & Resource Guide and founder of Lucenscia.

“I love the question: What does happiness mean? But at the same time, there is a quality of happiness that feels very fleeting to me. So when I think about happiness and I feel what that means to me, there is an element that’s a little bit more elevated: That is joy. 

If you look up happiness, sometimes you’ll see it can range from contentment to this incredible joy. And that’s where I tend to fall on the spectrum. Not because anything big has to happen, I find happiness and joy in the smallest of things.

I find such joy and happiness when I see people finding themselves and loving themselves fully. There’s just nothing more remarkable than being witness to someone who has discovered how important they really are. That is joyful,…