What is happiness? The root hap, meaning “luck, chance, or good fortune,” is found in words of both positive and negative connotation: happening, mishap, haphazard, happenstance. The implied meaning of happiness is that luck, chance, and good fortune determine your state of being. This suggests that you are not entirely in charge of your own happiness. The truth is that there is nothing random about happiness. It is a choice you can make for the rest of your life.