Finding Happiness Part 1

Happiness is largely under our control. It is, mostly, a battle to be waged and seldom a feeling to be awaited. To achieve a happier life, it is necessary to overcome some stumbling blocks, three of which are:

1. Comparisons With Others: Most of us compare ourselves with anyone we think is happier.

2. Images of Perfection: Most of us have images how life should be. The problem is that only rarely do our  jobs, spouses and children live up to these imagined ideals.

3. “Missing Tile” Syndrome: One effective way of sabotaging happiness is to look at something and fixate on the smallest of flaws. It is like looking up at a tiled ceiling and concentrating on the space where one tile is missing. Once you have determined what your missing tile is, explore whether acquiring it will really make you happy. Then do one of three things: 

1. Get it;  
2. Replace it with a different tile; or  
3. Forget about it and focus on the tiles in your life that are not missing.

Three Secrets

There is little correlation between the circumstances of our lives and how happy we are. We all know people who have had a relatively easy life yet are essentially unhappy. And we all know people who have suffered a great deal but generally remained happy.

The first secret is GRATITUDE. Happy people are generally grateful while ungrateful people are generally unhappy. Complaining generally leads to people becoming unhappy.

The second secret is REALIZING that happiness is a by-product of something else. The most obvious sources are those pursuits that give our lives purpose – study, sports, social activities, etc. The more passions we have, the more happiness we’re likely to experience.

The third secret is BELIEF that something permanent transcends us and that our existence has some larger meaning – a belief usually found in spiritual or religious faiths or a philosophy of life.

If you choose to find the positive in virtually every situation, you will be blessed; and if you choose to find the awful, you will be cursed. As with happiness itself, this is largely your decision to make.

IN SHORT, FOLLOW YOUR PASSION,

FINDING HAPPINESS WON’T COME EASY BUT IT’S WORTH IT ONCE YOU DO!