Happiness Is NOT Feeling Great

 happy is beautiful

Happiness Is NOT Feeling Great

Life comes with ridiculously exuberant highs and the most dreadful, sorrowful downs. What goes up must come down. The bad times are necessary, to put the good times into context and give them meaning!

Even the happiest people will have times of struggle and despair. But the difference is, they don’t STAY in that state. They experience it, and then return to their “baseline happiness” as quickly as they can.

What Happiness IS

Happiness is a choice. It is…

• A choice to appreciate what is, right now, in your life experience.

• The ability to see the silver linings in adversity.

• Being filled with wonder at the tiny things and the big things, not being jaded and bored.

• Noticing and appreciating the many small miracles that occur every single day.

• Taking good care of yourself so you are healthy enough to enjoy life.

• Loving yourself for who you are.

• Giving of yourself to others.

• Giving your attention to the good instead of the bad.

• Being grateful for what you have, instead of eternally longing for something you don’t have.

• Enjoying the moments, for what they are, as you go about achieving your goals – including appreciating the delicious feeling of eager anticipation.

• Knowing that life is constant change, and that change can be as exciting and delightful as you make it.

• Choosing to feel Love, even when people around you are focused on all things negative.

• Choosing to feel connected (feeling Oneness) rather than feeling separate and isolated.

• Seeing the world with the eyes of a child, unclouded by prejudice and limitations, and open to new experiences.

• Using your imagination to create an inner world of beauty and abundance rather than giving precedence to an outer world of lack and worry.

Like Abraham Lincoln said, “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

So, happiness is a choice… not so easily made if certain things are missing in your life.

Not material things. Not experiences. Not people. Definitely not money.

The things that are missing if you’re unhappy are gratitude and a deliberate positive outlook.

If you’re grateful for what is, you appreciate it, you are happy. If you’re choosing to see the silver linings and you choose to see with fascinated eyes instead of jaded eyes, you are happy.