When you ask people what happiness means to them, most will respond with platitudes like "having a lot of money" or "being loved." To me, though, the real meaning of happiness runs a whole lot deeper. And if there ever was a definition of the word that captures the true essence of happiness, it would have to be the one below, which I found via a Facebook page a couple of days ago: "Happiness is letting go of what you think your life is supposed to look like and celebrating it for everything that it is." The first part of that sentence -- "what you think your life is supposed to look like" -- is simply another way of saying "social pressure." Many of us think that if we don't live up to societal expectations -- getting married, buying a house, having kids, landing a high-powered job -- we've failed ourselves and our loved ones. We're constantly comparing ourselves to friends, relatives, neighbors, and coworkers, ...