Happiness

One thing I know, is that happiness is a choice. I have been singing to that song since I was 19. I made a covenant with myself that I would choose to be happy no matter what. It has not been easy but it has been truly rewarding because sooner than later being happy becomes a habit. A habit I don't want to lose.

We all know what happiness is and we surely want to keep it around like our best friend. Well, it's time to change your out look on life.

“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” - Aristotle 

The search for happiness can be a lifelong search, especially if we look at happiness as something that will come once we achieve certain goals — a nice home, a perfect spouse, the ultimate promotion … and when we get these goals, instead of being happy, we often are looking forward to being happy when we meet our next goals.

Happiness shouldn’t be something that happens to us in the future, maybe someday, if things go well. Happiness should be here and now, who we are now, with the people we’re with now, doing the things we’re doing now. And if we’re not with people who make us happy, and doing things that make us happy … then we should take action to make that happen.

That’s the simple formula for happiness. Take action to do the things that make you happy, with the people who make you happy, and to be happy with the person you are now. (Disclaimer: this probably doesn’t apply, of course, to those who are clinically depressed or who have other similar medical conditions which I am not qualified to discuss.)

Don’t wait for happiness. Seize it.
“If you want to be happy, be.” - Leo Tolstoy

1 . You choose
How your view yourself and your world are conscious choices and habits. The lens you choose to view everything through determines how you will interpret what is happening. And from your interpretation you act. And all of this becomes your life.You can choose to find happiness in small, everyday things. You can choose to interpret what happens in a positive way. Or in a negative way.And your choices controls much of how much happiness your will find and create in your life. This is so true and can be master through practice.

Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.- Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

The world of those who are happy is different from the world of those who are not.- Ludwig Wittgenstein

2. Focus on the present, not yesterday or tomorrow
When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.You only have now. And now. And now. Yesterday is a memory and you cannot change it. Tomorrow is just a fantasy in your mind right now. So live more in the now, focus on the present moment and today. Think and worry less about yesterday and tomorrow. Otherwise you might miss a great deal of happiness that is available to you right now. You won't believe how many unnecessary things we worry about: Just let it go.

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet. - James Oppenheim

3. Don’t forget to be grateful
One of the simplest and quickest ways to turn a negative and sour mood into a more positive one is to be grateful. Just try if for a minute and see how it changes how you feel. And it’s a win/win solution. You feel great because you are grateful about your world and the people you are grateful for feel great too because they feel appreciated. So don't forget about gratitude or you may forget about the happiness that is already in your life.

Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it. - Fyodor Dostoevsky

We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.- Frederick Keonig

4. Help someone else find happiness.
Great teacher of spirituality live by the practice and continue to teach the world about compassion; That in showing compassion, then you will know true happiness.

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.- Buddha

If you want happiness for an hour — take a nap. 

If you want happiness for a day — go fishing.

If you want happiness for a year — inherit a fortune. 

If you want happiness for a lifetime — help someone else.

Chinese Proverb

5. Lose you less valuable desires.
Yes, you want to conquer the world and do a million things and you want more and more and more. You will only have what you want when you release the clutter of your mind and focus on what you really need. If you wan less, you won't expect so much and if you expect less you have peace of mind that you have enough and you are happy.

If thou wilt make a man happy, add not unto his riches but take away from his desires. - Epicurus

6. Do what you like to do
I have been preaching this since I began my blog. It’s still easy to trap yourself into doing what you don’t want to for many, many hours. And seldom do what you really love to do. You may not be able to choose to do what you want to do right now. Or for many hours each day or week. But you almost always have a choice to do more of what you really want to do. There is always time. Or time you can free up. You always have a choice.

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful - Albert Schweitzer

7.  At least do something
Nothing can be done with out action. One of the best ways to not find happiness is just to hold yourself back and do nothing. Seldom show up. Paralyze yourself through over analysis. It’s not always easy to take action, it can be scary and hard and difficult. But if you don’t take action you’ll be missing out on a lot. Including many moments, people and experiences that can bring you a lot of happiness and joys to your life.

Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action. - Benjamin Disraeli