Finding happiness within yourself is not a complicated task. We all have the ability to live in happiness. We are going to examine what happiness is and learn how to find it inside all of us.
Happiness is not something that only lucky people can have. Happiness is one of our gifts of the free will. Our free will gives us the opportunity to choose to be happy or not to be happy. To be happy is a decision we all get to make, but many choose not to do it.
What Is Happiness?
Happiness is a state of being, or many say it is a state of mind. I call it a state of “being” because you must choose to be happy. You must “be” happiness. A state of being provides you the choice to live in the state you desire if you want to.
A state of being is where we choose to be. A state cannot be given to you and you cannot do or try a state. You can only be a state. You cannot try to be happy. You cannot do happiness. You can only choose to be happy. It is not up to other people to give you happiness. It is not up to other people to try to make you happy.
Happiness is not something you can give away and you cannot give it to others. You may be able to give something to someone to make them feel happiness for a moment, but it is up to them to remain happy. You cannot force anyone to be happy.
How Can I Find Happiness
Once you decide to live in the state of happiness, then you will naturally find more things to be happy about. See, people are always looking for happiness, but it isn’t something that can be found. Happiness is never lost, it is only forgotten. We don’t need to look within in order to locate it, but we must feel it from within to enjoy it.
An easy way to experience happiness is to first live in the states of satisfaction and gratitude. These states go hand in hand with happiness. I wrote about finding gratitude in this earlier post. Creating a gratitude journal is a great way to relocate your happiness. Start thinking about or better yet, writing down all the things you are grateful for.
It may seem hard at first, but start with something easy. Write down, that you are grateful that you saw the sunshine today, didn’t hit your toe on the table leg, or maybe you didn’t drop the last roll of toilet paper in the toilet. Even if it feels like something silly to be grateful for, write it down anyway.
This morning I am grateful because I can breath during allergy season. I am grateful that my dog is enjoying the life I am providing. I am grateful that I have the skills and technology available to write this post for you. I am grateful that my eyes are not all puffy during allergy season. I think you can see that there is plenty to be grateful for.
Gratitude Equals Happiness
All the things we are grateful for should evoke the feeling of happiness inside of us. Are you feeling it more now that you are thinking of the great things in your life? Gratitude is a great way to relocate your happiness, but it is not the only way.
I am grateful for many things, but there are many other things that make me happy. I enjoy petting my dog and seeing her happy face when I come home from work. A good song brings back memories of happy times in my life. Seeing children learn something new brings a smile to my face. I love hearing a 7-year-old say, “I haven’t seen that in my WHOLE life.”
That last one makes me giggle. I remember hearing a 10-year-old say, “I haven’t seen that in FOREVER,” and it brought a smile to my face that I too hadn’t felt in a long time.
How Do I Choose Happiness?
That is exactly the point, we choose to be happy. You have control over your emotions. You can choose to get angry, scared, laugh, cry, and even be happy. I am not saying it is easy to do this, but you can and the more you practice, the easier it becomes.
You can read about how my life changed for the better when I decided to be happy by reading this earlier post.
I know some people that say they want to be happy, but his or her actions do not reflect this desire. These types of people enjoy pity from others, tell people how bad they have it all the time, and only talk about the times when someone or something done them wrong.
They say they want to live in happiness, but they do not look for it or choose to live in the state of happiness. I have heard that these types of people are called, “Debbie Downers.” They enjoy living in sorrow and they will never truly seek out happiness. You cannot make them experience true happiness and your own happiness will be pushed to the limit when you try to help them enjoy happiness.
Conclusion
So… You cannot make other people happy. It is a choice they need to make for themselves. Just like it is a choice you need to make for yourself. You can choose to live in the state of happiness by focusing your attention on the things that make you smile, the things that make you happy, the things you are grateful for, and the things that lift your spirits.
There are many ways to discover the happiness all around us. We can practice gratitude, relive good memories from the past through music, and we can change our attitude to be more positive. You can learn more on how to do this by reading this earlier post on thinking and being more positive in our daily thoughts.
I want to congratulate you on trying to relocate your happiness. It is everywhere around you, but you can only feel it inside you. Your heart will guide you in the right direction, just smile and attract all the other smiles around you, and share in the happiness.
That’s one thing great about happiness. We cannot give it away, but we all can share happiness with each other.
==>I would love to hear your experiences, questions, and thoughts about this subject, so please feel free to leave a comment below. I normally respond within 24 hours. Feel free to share this information with anyone you think will benefit from it. Talk with you later, Greg<==
I never thought about happiness in this way. It does seem like I base my happiness on how well the people around me feel.
That’s just how I tick…I like helping other people.
Is that ok?
Hi Otis,
Yes, that might be completely fine. Do you give up your happiness for others all the time or just once and awhile, like it is a good deed?
See, if you are giving up your happiness for the sake of all others, then it may be noble in some eyes, it is not very healthy for you. You need to make sure you are taken care of first. You could think of it like, “Who is going to take care of all these people if I disappear? Now, If I don’t make sure I am healthy then I could become unwell. If I don’t make sure I get to work everyday, then I may not be able to pay my bills either.”
Do you see where this is going? Take care of yourself, so you are healthy and happy enough to truly help out others.
Later,
Asdabbi