Well... It depends on what you mean by "happy".
If you mean - do I jump out of bed each morning estatic to meet a brand new day of joyful surprises with a smile on my face and never a worry in my heart 95% of the time then... no. I don't even know if that's possible.
However, if you mean "content" or "satisfied", then yes, I am satisfied with my life 95% of the time.
My response would be similar to Glass Prisoner's. I'm not rich or wildly sucessful. I don't have very many possessions. I have problems and crises to deal with just like everyone else - some of them greater than others.
Like you 96Tears, I had a bad time growing up. And I've had a variety of careers and did well at them. I used to work for Microsoft, and there I had a lot of money and things. Surprisingly, it wasn't as great as I thought it would be. One day I realized I didn't need it all and I was just working at my job (which I didn't enjoy) to keep it. So shortly after, I gave away/sold nearly everything and left the industry.
Now I live in a one room house that's very tiny. I don't even own a television. I went from driving a kick-ass sports car to a stationwagon. I have to live frugally on a student's budget.
I am in veterinary school which has been a calling for many many years and that has required an unbelievable number of sacrifices - from how much free time I have to where I live to how I live. It's exciting to be moving towards the goal of becoming a doctor, but difficult too. And crap happens. Two weeks ago I was sitting in church and got a stabbing pain in my back that wouldn't go away. It turns out I had kidney stones. Most unbelievable pain I've ever felt in my life and I spent a week in the hospital requiring two surgeries. But hey ... things happen and I'm okay now.
I guess that's my life: things happen, but I'll be okay. I wouldn't change anything in my past, present, or future - all of those things shape who I am and who I will become. There's no secret to it other than accepting that this is my life - it's not that great, but it's what I've got to work with. And I can live with that.
I might start by turning off the TV though. It sucks anyway.
~SK