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Why happiness is subjective

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Similarly, happiness means different things to different people.

Joe's ideas of happiness may be earning 200K a year because it provides him the means to afford his big mansion and fancy cars -- even if it comes at the expense of having to work long 60 hour weeks.

Ana's version of happiness may be far more modest. Give her a small apartment filled with books and pets and she's in bliss.

Sam, for his part, might find happiness in moving to a different city every other year, while Betty might take delight in being a stay-at-home mom.

Different strokes for different folks.

Judging others for their likes and lifestyles is no less inappropriate than passing judgment on, say, their physical appearance.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, yes, but that doesn't grant them the latitude to criticize others' choices just because they don't align with theirs.

I may aspire to become a manager, but you might have no interest in rising the ranks of your own company because you'd rather remain in more of a hands-on technical role. Neither choice is wrong.

Maybe it's always been your dream to have a large family, while I would be perfectly fine having only one child. Again, neither is wrong.

No one should assume that their prescription for happiness works for everyone else.

Everything from our inherent personalities and childhoods to the myriad experiences -- good and bad -- we've faced as adults have molded us into the people we are today.

Thus, these factors influence the way we perceive the world. For example, while most people desire to tie the knot, there could be a handful who have opted not to go down that road after witnessing so many tumultuous marriages growing up (including that of their parents).

Maybe you can't fathom how someone could dislike pizza, enjoy cold weather, want to be single at 40, or venture into the field of medicine.

But that's the beauty of it all: We're unique. And just because someone's choices and predilections don't fall in the mainstream doesn't mean they should be criticized.

If we all liked and found happiness in the exact same things, it would make for a boring world.

Those who try to discourage others from standing apart and embracing their individuality are doing a serious disservice to themselves.

Surely, everyone has to find their own path to happiness.
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