What "Building a Life of Happiness" means to me

I titled my blog "Building a Life of Happiness"..... what does that mean? What is happiness?!?! "Happiness" is just one of those words that is thrown around with many degrees of meaning, kind of like 'love". I mean, does anyone really think that when someone says,"mmmmm I really really love this hamburger" that it has the same meaning as a 80 year old man telling his wife of 55 years that he Loves her? Didn't think so. Neither am I talking about the happiness that is found inside a Happy Meal from McDonald's.
When I say "Building a Life of Happiness" I am talking about a completeness. The filling of being whole without parts of your life missing. It is the feeling that you get when you find something or someone that fills a hole is your life.  This is why I chose the word "Building". I don't imagine I will ever be able to finish this. It is a never ending project that is built with hard to obtain building materials. Sometimes you think to yourself," I'll put that right there, that feels good to me" and you move on. Then years later you realize that you need to remodel your life in order to allow for change/growth. By no means does that mean that you screwed up, it just means you are changing and that is good. Sometimes change is uncomfortable but that is exactly what you need in order to reach your goals. Goals are what pushes us out of our comfort zone and into changing our live so that we can maintain and remodel our lives of happiness. One of the scriptures that I found on my mission that really struck home with me on this subject is the story of Peter when he attempted to walk on water to go to Christ. The story goes that Peter and the other apostles were on a boat in the middle of the sea in a storm. Jesus appeared to them walking across the sea on water and called the apostles to come to him. Peter took up the challenge and got out of a perfectly good boat and placed his feet on water and started actually walking on water to go to Christ. After a few steps Peter began  to get distracted from his goal of reaching Christ and started paying attention to other things. When Peter did this he began to sink and called out to Christ to help him. Christ stretch forth his hand and pulled Peter up to him helping him in his trial.
Why did Peter get out of that boat to attempt something that was not only hard, it was scientifically impossible! I feel that it is because Peter KNEW what he wanted in life. He KNEW what his goals were and he was NOT going to reach them sitting back and drinking his margarita in his safe little boat. He needed to get up and move. Go and do something that was difficult, to put it mildly.
My Goal is to BE happy. I need to get up and move. Challenge myself and if I find myself faltering, I can call on God and those people that God has placed in my life to help me get there.
To build a life of happiness is as complex and it is individual. No two lives are the same. What will work for me may not work for another, but I do feel that there are some building materials that must be used to create the framework and foundation for such a life, AND some material that will corrode such a life. These essential build materials for the framework, as I understand them, are personal growth, relationships and a desire to help other and since those are the essential building materials for the framework of Happiness, then the foundation is made up of Love.
The best part about these basics of Happiness is that they don't cost a penny but are worth more then anything else in this world. Benjamin Franklin wrote: " The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. YOU have to catch it yourself".