Many people don't feel good about themselves unless other people make them feel that way. They need others' validation in order to be happy and maintain high levels of self-esteem. This is most unfortunate. You should seek no one's approval but your own. The second your happiness hinges on what others say and feel about you, you've given them complete power over you. Why would you do that? What good does having others love you when you don't love yourself first? The bottom line is that no but you knows your true worth. No one will know or appreciate your talents, quirks, and innermost feelings like you will. Thus, true happiness comes from within. It begins with you . Sure, it always feels good to receive compliments from other people. But let's be realistic, folks: Those heaping us with praise can turn their backs on us at any moment. Yes, we need to maintain some semblance of a social life in order to live as well-adjusted individuals. But that ...

You've heard some people say that happiness comes from within, but others claim that true happiness can only be derived from interacting with others -- in other words, from the outside. So which one is it? It depends in part on whether you're oriented inwards or outwards. Since I am what you would call an introvert, I fall into the former group. I don't need to be in the presence of others to feel fulfilled. In fact, I find nonhuman objects -- like animals and books -- to usually be more interesting. Of course, we're human beings and still require some level of social contact. For me, my wife, family, a couple of friends, and my internet friends (on Google +, forums, and elsewhere) more than suffice. I derive more happiness from helping people in need than from simply chit chatting with them about superficial things. When people say "happiness comes from within," I really think they should be saying "happiness starts from within." Unless we...