Finding happiness
We run around every day, searching for that one truth.
The ONE thing that constantly eludes us.
We buy this and that, hoping it will bring immediate gratification.
And when it doesn’t happen, we buy more and more only to be disappointed once again.
So the truth becomes a big fat lie.
Convinced it can never be found.
No one ever really has it.
Right?
Happiness is not…
Something you buy
and it is not something that you can ever really lose.
It is a perspective of life
that each of us can have.
It is found in simple things
like a walk with your husband around the neighborhood park,
witnessing a beautiful heron take flight over a pond,
or hearing a child play with a puppy.
Here are 8 Rules to Happiness
Gratitude
Expressing gratitude for life’s small bits that makes life a little easier will surely bring a smile to your face. Something like be thankful the air conditioner works on a hot summer day or a friend waits patiently when you are running late. Thanking people for the time (because we all know how precious time is every day) is a small act of appreciation but it leaves everyone feeling more connected to one another.
Hope
Believing in good things and holding onto wishes makes us appreciate them more. They may not always come true, but just the thought of them makes us feel joyful and feeds our hearts with warm fuzzies. We give hope to others by the words we share and the actions we take, even if we don’t think they mean anything.
Love
To give love away is one of our greatest ways of creating and keeping ourselves happy. Plus, we make someone else happy too! To often, we hold our love for ransom and in doing so, we cheat ourselves out of moments of unconditional affection that otherwise never would have existed. Love is an emotion with happy written all over it.
Dreams
Having a dream keeps us pushing towards a particular goal. It moves us when we want to quit and we forget why it was so important to us in the first place. They remind us to keep moving and we know achieving something great is only found through hard work and commitment. We become more focused on what can be, pulling us away from any slump or failure.
Possibility
Being open minded to a variety of things and opportunities will always make things more possible. We believe in them more. Even when a setback would normally steer us to go back. But things that have never been done before happen all the time and we start to accept that those things are done by ordinary people like you and me.
Tribe
Hang out with happy people. No one likes spending time with people who mope around and complain all the time. If you feel the energy being sucked right out of you when you are around certain people, spend time with others who invigorate your spirit instead. Happiness can be contagious so be prepared to smile as much as you laugh — because that always happens when you are with the right people.
Purpose
When we live a life of purpose – one full of meaning – we are living with intention. We carefully make our choices and prioritize what matters to us most. Whether fueled by a passion or a value that is intrinsic within us, our purpose is what becomes our compass. It guides us when we feel lost or distracted by other aspects of the world.
Mindset
How we think about everything is key…it’s all of the above and more. We find a way through a situation instead of being stuck in the problem. We forget what doesn’t make us better and focus on our greatest qualities. Positive thoughts are a healthy outlook to getting us where we want to be. Understanding how powerful our thoughts can be and using them to fight fear and doubt when they show up will create a positive attitude too.
The Truth about Happiness
Being happy is a choice.
It is found in everything I have shared and more.
Kindness is a way to add a little bit of happy to your day.
Simple acts for random strangers, like buying coffee for the car behind you.
Leaving a random note in a book at the local library.
Catching a glimpse of a new dad softly rock his newborn baby back to sleep.
Happiness is hard to come by in this busy tangled world, but it is never impossible to hold.
And now you know how.
Michelle A. Homme 2018 ©
