‘Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life.’
-Burton Hills
Funny, isn’t it, that we spend most of our entire lives in the pursuit of that elusive thing we call happiness? And yet, somehow, it always seems to be able to avoid us.
Could you say you are one of those hard-working people, one of those dreamers who strive against all odds daily to achieve the happiness we all want? Could you truly say that you are one of those?
Then you are a fool.
Why do we have to think of happiness as something that ought to be pursued? Is there a need to go out hunting for it, to climb a cliff or cross a river to attain it? Do we have to fight for it? Reach into harm's way to get it? It seems that way, for we make it seem that way.
Close your eyes right now, just for a single minute. Breathe in, relax, breathe out…
Relax…
Now, after opening up your eyes and forgetting about all around you just think. What do you possess, or what around you makes you happy. You have been perhaps ‘too busy’ to see that just the flowers growing in your garden, that seeing your dog wagging its tail this morning, and that seeing a little sunlight of the few rays that escaped through the dense clouds in the sky can make you feel happy.
Perhaps watching your partner sleeping and cuddling in between the sheets like an innocent child, watching a cartoon, or reading a book have made you feel happy too.
Maybe even arriving on time to work, seeing a co-worker smiling, or just plain, good health can make you feel happy.
Live this very moment! Think of the things in your life that you should be happy about, and don’t be ungrateful with yourself.
Lesson learned: Finding joy in everything you do will make you richer, and happier than all the riches in the world.
-Burton Hills
Funny, isn’t it, that we spend most of our entire lives in the pursuit of that elusive thing we call happiness? And yet, somehow, it always seems to be able to avoid us.
Could you say you are one of those hard-working people, one of those dreamers who strive against all odds daily to achieve the happiness we all want? Could you truly say that you are one of those?
Then you are a fool.
Why do we have to think of happiness as something that ought to be pursued? Is there a need to go out hunting for it, to climb a cliff or cross a river to attain it? Do we have to fight for it? Reach into harm's way to get it? It seems that way, for we make it seem that way.
Close your eyes right now, just for a single minute. Breathe in, relax, breathe out…
Relax…
Now, after opening up your eyes and forgetting about all around you just think. What do you possess, or what around you makes you happy. You have been perhaps ‘too busy’ to see that just the flowers growing in your garden, that seeing your dog wagging its tail this morning, and that seeing a little sunlight of the few rays that escaped through the dense clouds in the sky can make you feel happy.
Perhaps watching your partner sleeping and cuddling in between the sheets like an innocent child, watching a cartoon, or reading a book have made you feel happy too.
Maybe even arriving on time to work, seeing a co-worker smiling, or just plain, good health can make you feel happy.
Live this very moment! Think of the things in your life that you should be happy about, and don’t be ungrateful with yourself.
Lesson learned: Finding joy in everything you do will make you richer, and happier than all the riches in the world.
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1 comment:
"Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is a phrase we've been stuck with since the U.S. Declaration of Independence in 1776. We understand what it's trying to say -- the freedom to life your life as you please. But the misconception of striving for an elusive future state goes back to the beginning ...
"If I can just kill this woolly mammoth and have meat for the winter, I'll be happy."
Happiness does not come through the absence of problems, in which case no one would be happy. It also not not contingent on having everything that you want -- millionaires commit suicide too.
Instead, we experience happiness when we choose to focus on what makes us feel good. Like Charlie Brown said, it could well be that "Happiness is a warm puppy," if warm puppies make you happy and you bask in thinking about them.
But now to something less obvious. Do we really WANT to be happy? It would mean giving up negativity, complaining, pity parties, playing the victim, jealousy, pouting and low self-esteem. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a good trade to me.
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