Happiness is that feeling that comes over you when you know life is good and you can’t help but smile. It is a sense of well-being, joy, or contentment. When people are successful, safe or lucky, they feel happiness. The “pursuit of happiness” is a continuous struggle for people with different people feelingand interpretinghappiness differently.
In most people’s minds happiness can be linked with the achievement of a goal; the attainment of something. “When I get this or have this, I will be happy”is something most people live by. And even when they do achieve whatever they have been asking for, the happiness is fleeting before they decide on the next bright shiny object that is going to bring them happiness.
REMEMBER, HAPPINESS IS JUST A CHOICE
What if happiness is just a choice? What if it is simply a state of mind? What if it isactually something that is available to us all the time, just by us choosing it?
Do you usually wake up in the morning happy? Or do you usually wake up tired, sad, miserable and depressed? What if you could wake up in the morning and think about the many ways you can be happy? What if you could wonder about the infinite possibilities available for your day? What if your whole day could turn out happier if you had willed it to be at the start of the day?
I was in a beautiful place called Tortugueroin Costa Rica, and we were to go on a river safari the next day. But it rained the whole night. As I lay in my bed, I had this thought: “oh no, it’s raining, my whole trip will be spoiled I won’t be able to see the animals!”I then caught myself and instead asked – ‘what would it take for the river safari to be lots of fun? What adventures can I have today?’The rain slowed down to a drizzle and the whole safari ended up being a magical experience.
Life happens, and often times we have no control over situations. But the one thing you have control over, is how to react. You could choose to choose happiness, no matter what is going on in your life.
Three steps to being happy:
# 1. Be ok with what you can do as well as with what you can’t do. Realize that there is so much you CAN do.
# 2. Surround yourself with people you want to be around that contribute to your happiness.
# 3. Go forward, don’t look backwards, and be optimistic.
Three truisms about happiness:
HAPPINESS HEALS THE EARTH
A lot of people live in anger, rage and fury every single day. A lot of this is destroying the earth. When we choose to be happy and joyful, it heals the earth.
SMILE AND LAUGH MORE
It doesn’t matter if your smile is genuine because your facial expression can trigger the feeling. If you find yourself in a negative spiral, slow down and smile or watch a funny video on YouTube. This mood boost can turn your day around.
CULTIVATE AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
Begin each day by writing down 10 new things you are grateful and happy about on that day. Pretty soon you will be searching for new things to be grateful about, and with this will comes an awareness of just how much you do have. This processshifts thoughts to contentment, and even happiness.
