I’m much happier when I don’t read threads like this one, where the OP thinks life sucks ass. Why don’t you just start a thread for people who are depressed and be done with it?
I started out in life acting in many advertisements, a couple of films, my first ad I did when I was four, balancing a spoon on my chin. I’ve met a lot of people, Muhammad Ali did an advert with me when I was 12, I was - amongst my peer group at school - a star and I was always the lead in school productions. I went to Rome to make an ad to sell pasta to Italians, I earnt more money when I was five than when I was 16, working in a supermarket. I was flown to Milan to try on clothes for a film, business class, when I was 12. I shortly after was flown to Pisa, business class, to get a hair cut. I’ve lost count the number of ads I did as a kid. 30 or 40 is probably near, and I did a few other productions that appeared on TV where I was an extra, acting in very popular soaps and educational gigs, which were shown and are still shown worldwide. At the time, being in the industry from a very early age, was odd but not difficult. I’m still trying to recover from all of that. Don’t get me wrong; every actor, producer and director fully supported me. As did my family. But ‘normal’ for me is unlikely to be the same for most other people. So when people try to help they’re not coming from anywhere near what history I’ve had. As much as I appreciate their input, they cannot fully appreciate what having your five-year-old friends asking for your autograph means, or how a being flown to Italy for a haircut, and so missing school, is normal. Then there is watching anything on TV and looking at it like you’re behind the camera or editing it, imagining the director, sound crew and sparks just off shot.
This is your first mistake. Be like me. Don’t make goals. Then you can’t be disappointed when you don’t achieve them.
Congratulations!
How would you know? You’ve never been happy.
Myself, happy, is not my default emotion. I’m more neutral on average. But I have a good family, friends, and a good job that affords me to pay my bills and have some money left over to do things I enjoy. I spend most of my spare time doing things I enjoy so over-all I’m having a good life.
I’m very happy.
I retired in my mid-fifties; I own my own house; I’ve won a World Championship.
I’ve got Aspberger’s Syndrome and I dropped out of University after a year.
But I got a job, paid my parents rent (whilst I saved up for my house deposit) and took up new interests.
Don’t you…?
The paranoia and drug abuse followed, I went through major bouts in my late teens, then my early twenties, and then my late twenties where I consumed enormous quantities of drugs, and alcohol, seeking out groups of enablers who were also escaping their own problems or - when they were a lot younger than me - just having fun. I had a lot of abusive relationships, and was accepting of them because I’d had such a ‘privileged’ upbringing. It took a long time - many years - to realise that my upbringing had not been as privileged as I thought, and the negative thoughts I was experiencing every day were just me being too hard on myself. It took months to realise those negative thoughts were not real, I always tried to treat people as I’d want them to treat me, and were just me being my own harshest critic, almost like I was enjoying thinking I was the worst human possible, contrary to how I was with everyone I met. I was obsessed with how I owed humanity because I was given a break when I was so young, as though I had any input in that. I felt guilty that I flew Club Class and met Muhammed Ali, but didn’t have the maturity to talk to him in a way he deserved.
I still feel guilty, maybe it’s partially due to my Catholic upbringing. I’ve gotten over the thought that I ‘owe’ humanity because of my childhood tv career, or I’ve come to deal with it better. I probably will never get over my start in life, I probably will never fully come to terms with being a ‘star’ when I was a kid and ‘normal’ now I’m an adult. I think people tend to progress as they get older, which keeps you going when life gets you down. A life progressing further into darkness and addiction is a form of progress, of a sorts, and it’s something I’m acutely aware of and is a shadow that follows me everywhere. I seem to be able to combat it, I feel I have the strength and courage to avoid that path, but it is an ongoing struggle.
I voted very happy. I really enjoy myself most of the time. If I may quote myself from this thread.
pullin:
A few months ago, the missus and I were having a friendly squabble over the temperature. I was sitting in my leather recliner, enjoying the multi-zone central airconditioning as an amazing scifi show played on the flat screen TV… while also keeping an eye on the steaks outside the window (on the grill). Then later I pressed the buttons to retract the room slides on the RV and we moved to a different park. I actually camp better than most of humanity has ever lived.
On the back deck of my home, I have a personal “hot spring” that keeps clean water hot and bubbling 24/7 for me to hop into anytime I feel the urge. I have a small rectangular device in my pocket which can bring up most of the combined knowledge of the human race, or can summon a smiling teenager with a hot pizza. When enjoying a day of sunshine and water with the family, the mere touch of a few switches starts the rumble of hundreds and hundreds of horses beneath the deck. And if I desire, I can crack a whip over their heads and command them to hurtle us across the water at dizzying speed just because we’re getting too warm. Seriously, I can order up wind if that’s my whim.
To the people of the past, we live in a time of magic. And routinely do things that Kings of the past couldn’t even imagine. IMO, I live in the greatest State, of the greatest Country, in the greatest era in which humans have ever existed.
Why so many are bitching and whining remains a mystery to me.
Very unhappy. I suffer from depression. I am in a job that I really dislike. I have no family, no local friends. Never married, few dates in my 55 years. I’ve accomplished very little.
Every night when I go to bed I say a little prayer that I don’t wake up. No one is listening.
Jeez the above two posts could hardly be more different in attitude and outlook.
I have two answers.
On the daily, I’m pretty miserable. I am pregnant and have a two year old so I’m exhausted, sick and overworked all of the time. My commute sucks, I always worry about money, and I can’t seem to get my career to go where I want it to. My social life has crashed and burned since having a kid and moving to the burbs. It’s a ton of work, and the fun parts are few and far between. It’s a grind, and I work to exhaustion every day.
In general, though, I’m enormously satisfied. I have a beautiful family, a wonderful home, a professional job, and good health. I’ve traveled extensively and had an enormous amount of fun in my life, more than I could have expected. Above all, I just feel so lucky- for love, for health, for prosperity, for living in such an easy country to live in. I’ve been so very fortunate, and I remember that every day.
Everything’s going good on the job, with family, my health. I can’t really think of anything I want. I don’t feel deprived or disappointed. I’m not in any emotional or physical pain. Everything’s going good.
Am I happy?
Well, to me happiness isn’t a continual feeling. And it’s usually only something I only recognize retrospectively,and in comparison to some other state. I feel bursts of happiness from time to time throughout the day or week. But on the whole I’m just content. And I’m content with this.
I take issue with the first part of your post.
Very happy here BTW.
Eh, I like to say, “I’m not dead yet!”
At this point I’d say happy, just so long as I work at it.
Really? I think I may have heard you mention this before. My memory sucks tho. 
Nothing that you are proud of, at least. You certainly have achieved things many people haven’t. You should at least give yourself that acknowledgement.
Nonsense, they are interwoven, often overlapping byproducts of life. To experience the full depth of one, you must also experience the full depth of the other.
Because then it wouldn’t be just about him.
I voted unhappy. Like many here, I have a lot of the things that are hallmarks of happiness: nuclear family, nice home in nice neighborhood, two great kids, dog, newer cars, smallish mortgage, low debt total, savings for retirement, savings for kids college, uninspiring job with decent pay and benefits, work no more than 40-50 hours/week, in good health, no maintenance medications, no medical conditions.
So why am I so unsatisfied? I think when I was young, and happy, without the shackles of responsibility, I felt like the world was my oyster - like I had something to look forward to all the time - mainly travel and adventure and being outside. As time wore on, more responsibilities arrived, and freedom started to contract. Dreams were put on hold; other priorities took reign. Sometimes I look at how I am living and wonder if I somehow ended up in someone else’s life - a cubicle-dwelling corporate drone. It’s not all bad - there are a lot spots of enjoyment, but I have a lot of challenges socially, and prefer solitude. Whenever I am enjoying myself, I keep thinking that it will end and I have to go back to work, which is uninspiring.
I wonder what my 22-year old self would say to me now. I know what I would tell him - don’t settle down yet - keep dreaming, make a plan, don’t worry about the career or the money, and keep moving - look to the horizon for security.
Who knows - maybe I’d still be unsatisfied.
Well, you want this:
http://www.redbubble.com/people/jay5/works/11799227-camacho-2016?p=t-shirt
you just didn’t know it.
For the uneducated:
Happiness is bullshit.
I mean, sure, there are times where I’m extremely happy or unhappy; two extremes. That’s just life.
I think the real question should be: Are you satisfied?
I have never been happy. It is eternally out of reach.
I know they say that you never get there, that “if I only had this and that, then I’d happy” never ends, it’s always another thing.
My goals for happiness, however, are simple. I don’t need a family, or even friends, or good health. All I want is a decent income to support me without additional assistance, and a place to live that won’t be taken away from me at short notice.
I have never had either of those. Every time things almost line up, they then get yanked away from me again.
Life sucks.