Student 24/7 May 2014 | Page 25

HEALTH Happiness is Quality Lebogang Masemula “Happiness is not something really made. It comes from your own actions”- Dalai Lama Happiness is defined as a mental or emotional state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. An emotion is one powerful weapon that controls a mind. The obvious outcome of a sad emotion is an unhappy soul. Why not cultivate long term happiness by sowing regular seeds of positive emotions? One of the factors that might prevent us from being happy is our past. If it’s going to prevent us from being happy TODAY why not leave it and just bury it? Yes I may not understand what you going/went through, but all of us are going through issues yet we choose not to entertain them. We don’t allow them define who we are. Every life deserves a beautiful living for it is too short not to be enjoyed. Happiness is a choice. Sometimes all we need to do is open up and just let go. Tyler Perry strongly believes that the key to life when it gets tough is to keep moving. An essential key to happiness is investing in relationships. People who are happy seem to know that happiness is the sum of their life choices. Majority of their lives are built on the following factors:      Devoting time to family and friends Appreciating what they have Maintaining an optimistic outlook Feeling a sense of purpose, and Living in the moment Personally, I don’t think the benefits of positive emotions can be overstated. They’re good for our