Where To Find Happiness
There are a lot of people that are unhappy right now. Not just in the United States, where I live, but all around the world. You may be one of them. You might be unhappy with the amount of money you make, believing you deserve more. Or you’re unhappy with your partner, wishing they would act or be different. Perhaps, you’re unhappy because you don’t have a partner altogether. You might be one of those people who are unhappy with current leadership in government. But there is a common thread here. You believe your unhappiness is due to some outside factor. You believe if things changed, then you would finally find happiness. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
The fact is you can’t find happiness because you are looking in the wrong place. Happiness is not something that is found outside of yourself, but within. Happiness is a choice and based of personal feeling. It’s your opinion of circumstances. Until you begin to realize this simple truth, you will not be able to find happiness. You might be thinking, “It can’t be that simple.” It’s your boss, your kids, your neighbor, that guy at the gas station, that woman at the supermarket, the President, Black people, White people, everyone, and everything else’s fault you’re unhappy, right? Nope. It’s just you.
“It is difficult to find happiness within oneself, but it is impossible to find it anywhere else.” – Arthur Schopenhauer
Don’t get me wrong. Your conscious mind will tell you all types of things will make you happy. For a moment, you will say, “See, I told you so. I’m happy now.” But that moment will be fleeting, and you will find yourself in search of something new to fill the happiness void. If you’re looking for happiness outside of yourself, you may find pleasure, but you will not find happiness. Trust me, there is a difference. When you think about it, you realize that pleasure is always temporary and only lasts a short time. It’s like a drug. It makes you feel good for a little while, as that feeling begins to fade, you want more and then the cycle repeats itself.
Happiness, on the other hand, once realized can last a lifetime. Everyone has heard the old mantra, “Have an attitude of gratitude.” Dale Carnegie said, “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” As you already know, life throws all types of things at us, but it’s our responsibility, note response-ability, or ability to choose an outcome that is best for us.
Learning to be grateful is the first step to finding happiness. Every cloud has a silver lining. The sooner you can learn to appreciate, even the small things in life, the sooner you can find happiness. Look inside of yourself. Enjoy the pleasures of life for what they are, temporary moments of joy meant to remind us of the true happiness we are all meant to have. It’s time to change your perspective. Happiness is within you and waiting for you to claim it. You must believe that it already exists within you to see it.