Where does happiness fall within a world view?

In my first post I concluded with a paragraph that began as follows:

The grander purpose [of this blog] is that I wish to create my own philosophy upon which I can base my actions, thoughts, and conclusions. I've come to believe that people give meaning to their own lives and for me it is in analyzing and placing this world in a context with which I can admire its beauty and complexity. But this can only be done once I wrestle from it the essential facts and shape them into some meaningful form, as humans are meant to do.

The other night while reading in a coffee shop I realized that this statement is a bit naive. I think that the statement is in general true; I believe that it is worth our while to take some control of the factors that influence our lives, such as our relationships to others and our general outlook, rather than play the part of the passive observer. There's a certain nobility to reducing life to its basis. Doing so provides us the intellectual materials that are required to place us in the position to be masters of our own existence. However, a singular intellectual pursuit of translating our realities into a coherent framework leaves little room for spontaneous joy. This is because of the enormous complexity of reality--it may simply be too much for any individual to fully understand. And the rejection of happiness for a synthetic, mindful pursuit smacks a bit too much of piousness for my own taste.

So how can happiness fit into one's world view, especially one whose aim is to critically examine every piece of information that it is presented? If I were to fully understand my life through contemplation, would I be happy? If I gave up entirely upon philosophy to focus my energies on more tangible sources of enjoyment such as my friends and going out every night, would this provide me with contentment? My opinion is that neither extreme can give me the most satisfaction. As usual, a balance between the two seems to be the best option. But these concerns raise more fundamental and interesting questions.

Is happiness an end to be achieved by the meaning and goals we set for ourselves, or does the pursuit of these goals fill us with contentment, regardless of whether they are achieved? Maybe happiness is obtained independently of how we choose to run our lives, but I doubt it. Furthermore, I know that I find happiness in both the satisfaction of the mind and in the body. Does this mean that there exist two forms of happiness, or are they one in the same?

To be fair to myself, I think I understood that the statement that I began this piece with was naive when I originally wrote it, hence the conclusion:

Intellect was not bestowed upon us to simply reflect on reality; we were meant to transform a piece of it into something that we can claim as our own, even if it be the tiniest fraction of what we know of as existence.

Perhaps we who possess philosophical tendencies should be content with just taming "the tiniest fraction" and cease our metaphysical exertions lest we be consumed by our own minds.