That may be the secret to contentment, but not to happiness.
I beg to disagree. What my father was telling me was that instinct often sees past the “obvious,” to trust my inner feelings over the outward appearances that seemed to be just fine. Many times in my life I have followed that advice and he was right.
There are many “degrees” of happiness, just as there are many degrees of success. I have been blessed in both largely due to the wise counsel of both my parents when I was young and their insistence that I always think for myself.