What factors are important in achieving happiness?

　　When asked what they are after in their life, people tend to say that happiness is the most important, if not the only, goal in life. But as you may realize, it is not an easy thing to do to give a definition of happiness, because different people may have different interpretations of happiness based on their own life experiences. While some people link happiness to wealth and material success, others think it lies in emotions and loving personal relationships. Yet others think that spiritual paths, rather than either the material world or relationships with people, are the only way to true happiness.

　　Personally, I think the following factors contribute to one's happiness. First, we need to have a realistic target in life. Many people often feel disappointed or even frustrated in their life and complain that they are doomed to failure. The cause of their unhappiness lies in the fact that they have too high a life target. Second, when a life goal is set we should make efforts to realize it. There is much in the saying that happiness lies in the pursuit of one's goal. Quite a few people have one after another goal in their life. But they never really start to turn them into reality. As a result, their life goals bring them nothing but unhappiness. Third, we should treat the others as we hope to be treated. Human beings are social animals. Inevitably we often depend on the others in our society for a happy life. We should not be egocentric. Instead we have the obligation to make the others happy, and in this way we will all be able to live in a pleasant society.

　　In the final analysis, happiness lies in the pursuit of one’s realistic goal. If we take such an attitude, we will be able to live a happy life and thus bring happiness to the people around us.