When it comes to the subject of happiness, we each have our own unique perspective. We can all agree that happiness is something we strive to achieve throughout our lives. Yet there seems to be an elusive quality about happiness. Many times we think that if we can only reach a particular goal, or if we obtain an item we have long yearned for, that happiness is guaranteed. Yet once we get what we thought would make us happy, we often discover our new found happiness to be rather short lived. Before long, the novelty wears off, and we are left once again feeling empty inside. We then begin anew on a fresh quest to reach another goal thinking that we will surely find our happiness this time around, and on and on it goes.
Perhaps we need a new outlook on happiness. What exactly is happiness anyhow? Since the dawn of time mankind has been searching for the meaning of life, and many theories have arisen regarding self fulfillment and happiness. Some say we can never expect to experience happiness on a consistent basis. After all, we do live in a world that offers us many reasons to be anything but happy. We read the headlines, we see violence and hatred broadcast on a daily basis. Others will tell us that happiness can only be had by placing our faith in a God somewhere 'out there.' In this particular scenario, our happiness becomes dependent on the whims of a power outside ourselves. We then strive to live in a manner that we believe will ensure us favor with our God. Of course, we soon realize that there are multitudes of differing religious belief systems in the world. Can we be sure ours is the correct one? Is there possibly another way to experience true and lasting happiness?
When we begin to examine the subject of happiness with unbiased scrutiny, we soon discover that it cannot ever be lasting if we base it solely on people, places, or things outside of ourselves. This is certainly the most common way people seek happiness. Some feel that if they could only attract the perfect mate then they would be happy. Others may believe that if they were to win the lottery or score the perfect job, then their happiness would be assured. We have all heard stories about people who did win the lottery, and how it brought them anything but happiness in the end. Or we may have found our idea of Mr. or Miss Perfect, only to discover their annoying flaws all to soon. Before long, disillusion sets in, and the party is over.
Now that we have established that true happiness cannot be found outside ourselves, the only option we are left with is that it must be derived from within ourselves. Yet that immediately raises the question of how do we go about creating our own happiness from within? Perhaps the answer lies in our own thought processes. Maybe our personal happiness is based on our own beliefs about the world. Of course we would also have to be aware that many of our beliefs about the world were learned at a very young age. For example, if we grew up in a highly stressful and fearful family environment, we are likely to view the world now through the lenses of fear. Conversely, if our childhood was more or less a happy one, our view of the world would most likely match that vision. Does this mean that people who have experienced less than perfect childhoods are doomed to a life of unhappiness? Or that folks who had a wonderful childhood experience will never feel unhappy? If we investigate the matter on a deeper level, we will clearly observe that this is not the case!
The wonderful news is that we can experience happiness right now, this very moment by simply changing our thoughts. We do have a choice about the thoughts we choose to think, even if it appears that it is an unconscious process. If you stop to think about it, you will see that there is always a choice between thinking a positive thought or a negative one. We may be so used to thinking negative thoughts that it appears we really have no choice over the matter. Yet with practice anyone can stop a negative thought in its tracks, and replace it with a positive affirmation. It may seem difficult at first, but it is important to realize that you had a whole lifetime up until now to learn to think negatively. So it will take some effort to retrain our minds to think in a positve manner. The good news is that one positive thought negates multitudes of negative ones. It will also be helpful to go on a 'bad news diet.' Refrain from watching the daily news broadcasts, and scanning the headlines for the latest world tragedies. If you do this even for a short time, you will realize how much more positive you feel. It has been said that what we focus on expands, so perhaps we would be wise to focus on things we would like more of. Choose to see the good that is all around us, and you will surely see more of it. Focus on the many blessings you have in your life, even the poorest of us have many. They too will expand and create even more things for you to be thankful for.
A wise teacher once said that the point of power is always in the present moment. That means that even if we thought in less that positive ways in the past, we can choose happy thoughts this very instant. When we decide to think in this new way, we will realize that true happiness is really a matter of thinking happy thoughts. It is also imperative to remember that our happiness is never dependent on what happens around us or to us. Our happiness can only be had or lost due to our reactions to outside events. We always have the option of seeing things in a positive light. We soon learn that we do have a choice in how we choose to respond to any given situation. A good example would be if someone says or does something that would normally anger you. You can in that very moment decide not to react in a negative fashion, instead choosing to see the incident as a reflection on them and not yourself. Always remembering that we do have a choice in how we can react to any situation empowers us to a degree we never previously thought possible.
Armed with our new found tools of choosing positive thoughts, and deciding to react to any situation in only loving ways, we can rest assured that our personal happiness truly is an inside job. If there really is a secret to happiness, it is that we had it inside ourselves all along!
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