Don’t Worry, Be Happy

The quest for happiness dogs many of us.  We read books and blogs, take pills, do yoga, and drink alcohol, all in an attempt to reach that elusive state of contentment that we label as “happiness”.  But happiness is fleeting, and you can’t force yourself to be happy.  Is it futile to pursue happiness?

Yes and  no.  Yes, if you fixate on the concept of happiness as a destination or  an end-result.  You will almost certainly be unhappy if you approach  life this way.  It is not futile to pursue happiness, however, if you do  it in a more roundabout way. That is, you can seek out and pursue  habits, activities, and values that lead you to happiness more often.   To paraphrase Eleanor Roosevelt, happiness is not a goal. It’s a  by-product of a well-lived life.

Here are some more tips:

Don’t  beat yourself up when you don’t feel happy 100% of the time.  Negative emotions are a normal and necessary part of life.  Negative emotions or  moods are healthy in moderation and are actually quite essential,  because they spur us to action.  Without healthy self-criticism, for  example, we would never improve ourselves.  These states are temporary,  which is important to remember the next time you are in a funk.

Practice  acceptance.  Sometimes, you can’t change a situation, no matter how much you’d like to.  Maya Angelou said, “If you don’t like something,  change it.  If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”  Re-frame the  situation in a way that helps you grow.  If your boss is overbearing and  obnoxious, for example, chances are that you can’t change his or her  behavior.  You can, however, use it as an opportunity for personal  growth: you can learn to deal with hostile or difficult personalities  while maintaining composure and practicing patience.

Allow  yourself to be vulnerable.  This is a tough one, because life is harsh sometimes.  Don’t let defensiveness or fear keep you from living the  life you want to have.  Love with your whole heart.  Trust yourself and  others.  Have big, intimidating life goals – and go after them without  holding back.  Nelson Mandela said, “There is no passion to found in  playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are  capable of living.”  Take risks.

Take 100% responsibility for  your life.  Happiness takes hard work and  persistent effort.  Do what  you really, really want to do.  If it’s  important to you, make time for  it, not excuses.

Practice gratitude.  Make sure you take time  everyday to think about everything that is great about your life.  If  that feels intimidating, try to think of one thing that happened  throughout the day that made you feel happy.  It could be as simple as  having a cheerful interaction with a cashier, or noticing that your  spouse unloaded the dishwasher.  Grateful people are happier people. Say  thank you.

Thanks for reading this blog and sharing it with your friends.

Janet Hill Jackson

Gratitude Marketing Advocate

The BirdDog Group