Happy?

'I just want to be happy.'

'I just want to be happy.' I have considerable empathy for my coachees when I hear them say this.

What exactly is happiness? Is happiness the absence of unhappiness and if so does this mean if I am not unhappy then I must be happy. In our western thinking we believe happiness is our right. I have memories of a movie I watched many years ago where a young American woman in search of her lover who served in the Veitnam war met a wise old eastern man who stated, 'the only thing life can promise us is suffering'. With this view point we can consider happiness in an entirely different light.

This profound statement has never left my thoughts therefore I am grateful for the moments of happiness and the absence of suffering.

What is happiness to you?