1) Happiness is a self sustaining state of mind where you get more out of it, than you put into it.

2)It's hard, because I always seem to be perpetually spazing out about something or other, but instead of putting things off, until I'm in the perfect alpha state, I'm simply making time to write, or draw, and I'm slowly giving up about quanity. Even if it's only a couple of paragraphs or a doodle, it's something concrete I've put down.

3) Stop being so bloody obsessed with either keeping up with, or being better than, the Jones'. Most of the unhappiness in America today, can be traced to the comerical industry's shoving down our throats that it's not just good enough to be yourself, you have to be better, faster, smarter, and sexier, that everyone else. It's gotten to the point where we have to run like crazy, just to stay where we are.
And don't even get me started on the standardized testing kids have to go through, these days.

2) Pretty much everyone I asked said about the same thing. That they were trying but it was almost an uphill battle. I guess that's just the nature of happiness, its takes a lot of work to get such a small reward, but its what we live for. I don't think anyone can really say they're completely happy because it runs contrast to our natural human desire to always better our position.

3) I completely agree. The sad fact is that only a few people are exceptional, mostly because they're measured against 'normal' and if normal is greatness than it is not exceptional. But we're taught that the only way to live in this world and be happy is to be exceptional so it sets people up to be disappointed. Even worse, we're told that the only way you can do well in this world is to go to college, get all the right connections, and strike out for yourself. Funny that college costs a lot of money many people just plain don't have. Society and popular opinion essentially damns them into stagnation.
Then, of course, there's the drive for sex. The fact that society paints the picture that you're ugly if you don't fit an impossible standard of beauty when, in reality, people prefer the more 'normal' body types. Not to mention ideals run contrary to natural human anatomy. I'm talking male and female. It's just sad that we teach our children at such a young age that they're never good enough.
Bah.

I think 2) and 3) are related, because the boob tube forces on us, so many things that are supposed to make us happy, so people constantly end up with a hollow feeling, because Jonesing happyness and true happyness, aren't even in the same zip code.

And it's funny you should mention standards of beauty and body types. I've been thinking of going back and redoing "The Model and the Monster", with the idea of finally writing a sequel to that story. I feel like I'm one of the few people who cares enough about the topic to write a couple of really good stories about the struggle of a girl to live up to all those fake expectations.