Inner Happiness is a happiness found inside a person. It is seated in the heart and consists of things like serenity, tranquility, peace, faith, and a sweet, calm spirit. Agnes, from our examples, had a heavy dose of this. Inner Happiness is among the angelic traits, as is "A worthy character" and "domestic servant".

Inner Happiness is the trait you know you have when you can weather life's storms with a calm and peaceful spirit. It doesn't mean you won't have problems, but the way you handle them will pass understanding and baffle onlookers. Men appreciate this trait in a woman, and the lack of it is viewed as a deficiency. They want their wives to "shed joy around, and cast light upon dark days".

What Causes Unhappiness?

Unhappiness is caused by a failure within an individual. This could be a defect of character, failure to meet responsibilities, or being the center of your own universe. On the other hand, we set the stage for happiness to grow when we overcome our defects of character, fulfill responsibilities, serve others instead of ourselves, and live according to heavenly laws.

Happiness is not caused by good surroundings or having everything "just right". We can have things that please us all around and still have an unhappy heart. Pleasures come in two forms: good pleasures and bad pleasures. Healthy pleasures are wonderful things consisting of nice spring days, soothing music, comfortable homes, snuggling children, stylish clothes, delicious food, labor saving devices and such. There is nothing wrong with these things, but they don't bring happiness! Many people are surrounded with all the comforts of life and are still unhappy.

Foolish pleasures are the outcomes of sin and bring not only unhappiness, but harm and grief. You don't have to look for to see the results of improper sex, unwholesome literature, poor movies, excessive drinking, love of food or money, etc.

Happiness is not gained by seeking pleasures of either sort. You may find yourself among equally bad or good situations and still be able to have that joyful, peaceful, faithful spirit that one who has a happy spirit exudes. How can we acquire a nature of this sort?

First we must straighten out the notion that happiness can be had just by making up your mind to be happy. If that were all there was to it; then wicked people could also have this trait. Inner happiness comes from following the spiritual laws that govern happiness.

What You Can Do

If you are unhappy it is because you are breaking these laws. Here are the steps you can take:

• Success In Your Home

  The first area that you must succeed in, since you are a woman, is in the home, in the roles of compassionate wife, diligent mother, and successful keeper of the home. Yes, the key to your happiness lies within your own four walls. To reach these goals you may have to go beyond the call of duty...go the second mile, doing more than is asked or expected. You must also excel equally in all three of the above areas.

• Have a Sterling Character

  Truly happy people have a highly moral character. They are usually honest, dependable, giving, loving, kind, not easily angered, thoughtful, unselfish..., but unhappy individuals exhibit the opposite traits of dishonesty, disloyalty, selfishness, hatefulness, anger, etc. You can easily observe these types of traits for yourself. Following eternal laws leads to happiness; following sin leads to unhappiness. No one is saying this is an easy road, but realize you are on a road leading somewhere. You are always developing and working on traits of some sort. (This is discussed in more detail in another lesson.)

• Serve Others

  Turning your thought from serving yourself, to serving others in benevolent service is another road to happiness. Don't let your life become narrow by focusing only on your family, your children, your house, and your dreams. when you handle society's burdens with a shared effort you'll add a measure of happiness..

• Use Your Creativity

  This may come as a surprise to some of you, but working with your hands building things of beauty is not only therapeutic, it builds inner happiness. The best place to start working on this creativity is in your own home. Bring a measure of beauty and originality into your everyday activities. Lift your cooking, cleaning, sewing, gardening, and decorating above just the mundane by enhancing it with your own special talents.

• Accept Yourself

  Accepting yourself as you are and allowing for errors will help you be happy within yourself, just as accepting your man's weaknesses helps you be happy with him. Don't let discouragement with failures or past mistakes defeat your efforts to grow and become a fascinating woman.

• Appreciate Simple Things

  One mark of a happy person is being able to appreciate the simple pleasures of life. The apostle Paul had this trait when he said he was able to be content in what ever state he was in, and he was in some horrible ones. He was able to be happy in feast or famine, among turmoil, among poverty or wealth. Have the peace in you instead of in your surroundings.

• Improve Your Mind

  Knowledge is the key to unlock, and wisdom is the power to open the door of happiness. This search for wisdom and knowledge should be the most important priority of our daily lives. You need to know what to do and how to do it. You also need to know what to avoid and how to avoid it. If you don't know how to clean, be a supportive wife, build character, eat properly; then how can you possibly live these principles and apply them day to day? A lack of knowledge and wisdom brings unhappiness as we are continually thwarted in our efforts to improve our hearts.

Does Your Happiness Depend On Others?

One mistake many wives make is to place the blame on others - especially their husbands. They think, "If only he loved me, then I would be happy." The love of your husband or any other person is not essential to the acquisition of inner happiness. Inner happiness comes from inside a person and has nothing to do with the feelings of another person.

When you have inner happiness and your husband doesn't love you there will be something missing; your life will not be complete. But as you practice the principles of Fascinating Womanhood and gain inner happiness, it's tills the soil that his love can grow in.

Inner Happiness is a very important part of Fascinating Womanhood. Don't make the mistake of focusing outward if you are unhappy. The key to your happiness lies within yourself and not in your surroundings.