Happiness!

What most of us ultimately strive for is to be happy. We simply hunger for happiness. But the fact is, although we all strive for happiness, very few of us seem to reach the level of happiness we desire.  How come? Reaching happiness is more complex and we have a hard time finding that constant happiness, partly due to the fact that too many of us search fulfillment in material things that create temporary enjoyment, but don’t cause lasting happiness. Also, we all have different opinions on what it means to be happy. Just ask yourself this; are you truly happy? Besides, what is it that makes us happy? Lastly, is happiness a choice?

So, what precisely is happiness?  If you ask me, a happy life is one that is filled with love! The more love I experience, the happier my life. The more love I feel, the more fulfilled and accomplished I see myself. The more love I give, the more love I receive. Likewise, a happy life is filled with compassion and abiding joy. It is a long-lasting serenity, that inner peace and emotional tranquility – which is a very rare achievement indeed. Happiness is a combination of the present, the past and the future. In order to be happy, one must ascribe positive emotions of the past, for instance gratitude as well as positive feelings towards the future i.e. hopefulness, optimism and confidence. Additionally, one must have a positive attitude toward life.    

But why is it that happiness is so hard to reach sometimes? If we are unhappy and unable to reach happiness, it could be because we tend to focus on reaching perfectionism, which most likely leads us to dissatisfaction when not reaching it. Equally, we live in an era where many of us focus on materialism, meaning a lot of us focus on receiving rather than giving and for that reason we only reach momentary joy.  Similarly, too often we focus on all the things we don’t have rather than being grateful for what we have and appreciate it while it is there.  

For the most part, it's up to us. So in order to be happy and to boost happiness we must be grateful for life, for our family, for our friends and our loved ones. Being grateful is the essential for personal happiness. And there are so many things we should and ought to be grateful for, but somehow we often forget them. So, learn to be grateful and you will be open to receive an abundance of joy and happiness.  The real gift of gratitude is the more grateful you are, the more present you become. We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. Appreciate your life and all you have! And, be GRATEFUL!

Needless to say, a lot people seem to have forgotten that the key to a happy life is much simpler than we think. In our pursuit of happiness we should remember; it is in the small things in life that we find happiness. If we do, we might just find that the moment we stop wanting more, and stop trying to be happy, we will actually start to enjoy life and find happiness. Therefore, smile, hug, give, love and say “thank you”!!!

Have a Happy Wednesday!