H.A.B.I.T

Are you happy?

……The key to happiness can be found in…blah blah….human happiness is a testament to…blah blah….Most books when talking about happiness, point to finding it internally. I agree with them to a point. Let me start with a disclaimer…I am not an expert on the subject…I’m just sharing a muse.

There are many phrases that we hear but I think the most common one is ‘I want to be happy’. This phrase is used when making decisions from something as simple as choosing an ice cream flavour to a big decision such as changing careers and whatnot.

So why is happiness such an important ingredient in our lives?

Where does happiness come from?

Dear reader, please bear with me. I know you have heard a lot from many sources. You are also aware of happiness as a feeling that you have experienced. Hang tight. Hear me out as I attempt to unravel this thing called happiness.

 

“Whoever is happy will make others happy.”– Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

Picture yourself in Nazi Germany. Picture yourself watching the news in your hideout. Every sound becomes terror. Every waking moment is filled with tension. Picture little Anne Frank, too young to understand what is going on in the world around her. Need I continue? Becoming happy and staying happy becomes necessary for survival at this point. We know the importance of mental states when it comes to survival. We also know that looking at a happy person can also lighten our mood somewhat…am I wrong? 

Where do we find this happy person? Where does their happiness come from? Some people seem to possess the elusive cheer that is so contagious! Since we know that our moods are affected by the people we interact with, perhaps it is time to make a conscious decision to seek out the happy people and ask them for their secret!

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”

― Marcel Proust

 

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

― Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

Viktor Frankl also experienced the worst of human experiences. A concentration camp. So when he mentions attitude, he knows what he’s talking about!

At some point in my writing journey, I wrote about grATTITUDE. There’s a reason why attitude seems to be central to so many things. In the realm of happiness, it is also key. You could be put in a situation where everyone is laughing and still be unhappy for no reason. You could also be given your dream vacation and cry the entire time, for no reason. Why? Attitude. Need I continue?

“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”

― Abraham Lincoln

 

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”

– Marcus Aurelius

Let me wind up before I lose you dear reader. Am I making sense so far? What are you thinking right now? Are you making your own gloom and doom? Have you ever had a moment of spontaneous happiness that is quickly followed by rational thought?…..more often than not, that rational thought causes the happiness to reduce a little…at least in my experience! ….I’ll give you an example of this rational destroyer of happiness. You could be laughing heartily at a joke and then suddenly remember – ‘are my teeth white’? ‘Was that too loud’? And etc…and suddenly you forget what made you laugh.

Here’s my first acronym of the year – 

Happiness

Arrives

Before

Intentional

Thought 

H.A.B.I.T

We have been known to create our own misery. But on the happy flipside, we can also create our own happiness. The task is not to rationalize it away!

Look out for moments throughout your day that make you happy…simple things such as feeling the warm sun on your skin, watching your favorite series/movie and whatnot.

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”

― Dalai Lama XIV

…Make it a habit to be happy