Is there anyone who doesn’t want to be happy? Yet so many of us lack a plan, we simply hope for one of life’s greatest feelings to just happen, for happiness to find us. The challenge is it won’t just happen, not for any meaningful length of time, unless you make it a focus of your life. Get interested in getting happy.
You can’t leave it up to the winds of chance and change. You might get a good breeze every now and then, but then the wind will die and your sail will fall, and there you are left stranded in a sea of uncertainty and sometimes misery. I heard the late philosopher Jim Rohn say it this way, “happiness is not by accident, happiness is on purpose. Happiness is not by chance, happiness is by choice. Happiness is woven. It’s not a hope, it’s a plan, it’s an art, it’s a learned art and anybody who wants it can learn it.”
Much like success it cannot be pursued. Even though it is written in the Declaration of Independence, something you have learned since grade school: “…they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Is it possible our founding fathers got it wrong? Not for me to judge, though maybe they were a bit off the mark. Don’t make it a pursuit, make it your purpose.
If you don’t get it right then happiness will forever be a fleeting sensation of pleasure, like entertainment, eating, or shopping (and buying). Material possessions won’t get you there. Every new toy, every new piece of furniture, every new article of clothing makes you happy for a few minutes, hours, maybe days, but then the feeling fades and you need more and more and more to keep the feeling going. You are chasing happiness, instead of attracting it.
Darren Hardy, publisher and motivational speaker, says happiness is “The pursuit of purpose, fulfillment and significance. Living a life of value and purpose. Fulfillment is a state of existence, not a fleeting emotion.” So how do you create a life of fulfillment? What do you do to feel fulfilled, not just for the moment, but for the rest of your life? The answer to that question is up to you.
A good start is to at least think about all you have to be grateful for. To make sure you understand, appreciate and feel gratitude for what you already have and for the people who make your life worthwhile and give it significance. Even a few minutes a day focused on those thoughts can change your life. Nothing brings greater happiness then the simple connection of a deep relationship. And what about finding a way to connect with others, a path and a purpose to give back. Find a way to help others reach a higher purpose. Do something to make someone else happy, to help them feel more, appreciate more and love more than they ever thought possible. If you give, you always get much, much more in return.
And this is where I sit today. This is my 75th post since I launched back in January. You, everyone who has chosen to pay attention and maybe derive some meaning from what I am writing, makes me happy. Together we are approaching 9,000 views on this page. Is that meaningful? I don’t know, I guess it depends on your purpose and perspective. The other day someone told me it was nothing. It was a tough thing to hear, but that’s cool, it is their perspective and their right to share, to comment. But it doesn’t change my purpose, nor thwart my dream. Though I think they are missing the point. Because as I said true happiness comes from within, appreciation for what you have and then finding a way to share yourself, your talents and your purpose with others, to lift them up as well.
Maybe it is nothing, but it’s something to me. I launched this blog back on January 9th of this year. Since that date, nearly 9,000 times someone has chosen to take a look.
On January 8th, that number was zero.
That is nothing… nothing I could have ever imagined. I’m not telling you what to do, I’m sharing and asking you to join me on the journey to get better every day. To see life as something to truly be lived, from the inside, so the outside world will meet you not just halfway, but all the way into your heart and soul so you can create the life you deserve. To live your dream.
A dream is nothing… until you start to make it happen. To make something from nothing.
That’s what make me happy.
Until next time, thanks for taking the time.
Mark
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