'I thought I'd be Happier' was
a statement from a someone about a week after her divorce was finalized. Even
though we'd had been discussing that happiness is an 'inside' job; she was
certain that once her divorce was finalized that would catapult her into
happiness.
How often we rely on external
events, things or people to 'make' us happy. We say 'Life will finally be good
when blank happens.' I've seen it with life events of a new job, marriage, or a
new baby. When I was married, it was when we buy the house, make a certain
level of income or when we go on that next vacation.
The events come and go and we
may experience a brief period of happiness; but then we settle back into the
same old yucky feelings.
Happiness is a by-product of
being comfortable in your own skin and right living. My personal journey of self-discovery began about 6 months prior to my
divorce when I realized that I needed to take steps to change the woman I had
become. I was resentful, angry and viewed my glass as half empty. Life was not
good and I certainly was no fun to be around.
When I started addressing the
root causes of my negative viewpoint; I came to the realization that other
people, things or events wouldn't make me happy. I needed to make changes in my
life to move me from being negative to being positive. In short, I needed to take
responsibility and the ownership that my happiness was my job; not
someone else.
No one wants to hear the
reason why they are unhappy is because they made that decision. When I came to
the realization that I needed to make better choices on how I live my life; my
life began to change once I took ownership.
One of the happiest people
I've known was my grandmother. She passed away just shy of her 102nd birthday.
Her husband had passed about 15 years earlier and she lived in her hometown
where none of her children lived anymore. Living the closest at about 150 miles
away; I would visit her several times a year.
She was such a great example
of how to age gracefully. She could have chosen to live the final years of her
life in resentment and anger towards children and grand-children for not living
close by. She instead chose to embrace the community that lived in her
retirement home and formed new friendships. She passed with peace in her heart
and a happy woman.
Each morning you awake, you
have the choice as to whether you're going to live in happiness or in misery.
But it doesn't stop there, throughout your day you continue to make the
choice. This can be challenging if the day events don't unfold as you would
like; but remember the choice is always yours to make.
Have you chosen Happiness?
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