Perhaps we think we'll be happy when we get a new car or the perfect person to share our life with. But do you wish to be happy right now? Every morning when we wake up, we've been given a wonderful gift—another day of life. Let's make the most of it. No one can do it for us. “Happiness is not a possession to be prized.” Daphne du Maurier wrote in Rebecca. “It is a quality of thought, a state of mind.”
Let's adopt a new state of mind about happiness. Let's stop thinking that things outside our control will bring us happiness.
Admittedly a new car can make us feel—at least momentarily—happier. But the magic seeds of contentment are planted deep within us. Happiness that the world cannot take away only flourishes in the Secret Garden of our souls. By tending to our inner garden and uprooting the weeds of external expectations, we can nurture our authentic happiness the way we would nurture something that's beautiful and alive. Happiness is a living emotion.
Your happiness is not a frivolous expendable luxury. The pursuit of happiness is an inalienable goal guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence. And we have to be willing to pursue it. Ultimately, genuine happiness can only be realized once we commit to making it a personal priority in our lives. This may be a new behavior for some of us and a bit intimidating. Be gentle with yourself. It will all unfold. Today you may not be familiar with a happiness habit, but like any new behavior, happiness can be learned.
If we are to live happy, creative and fulfilled lives, it is crucial to distinguish between our wants and our needs. Unfortunately many of us blur the distinction and then wonder why we feel so diminished. Make peace with the knowledge that you may not have everything you want. It's more important for us to get everything we need. Like infants we feel contentment when our essential needs are met.
Be courageous. Ask yourself: what is it I truly need to be happy? The deeply personal answers to this vital question will be different for each of us. Trust the living wisdom of your heart. It is only after we acknowledge our inner needs that we can harness the creative energy necessary to manifest them in our lives. “It is inevitable when one has a great need of something, one finds it,” Gertrude Stein reminds us. “What you need you attract.”
Let us learn that the happiness habit can be learned. Start today with a little experiment. Smile at everyone you meet and mentally collect their responsive grins. Expect something good to happen to you today no matter what occurred yesterday. Realize the past no longer holds you captive. The past can only continue to bother you if you hold on to it. Let the past be history. A simply happy and abundant world awaits you through your simple choice to be happy and to practice the happiness habit. The potential is infinite.
“There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.” —Robert Louis Stevenson
07/28/24