Happiness
How do we know when we are happy? Is it when you finally get that sports car that you only dreamed of as a kid? Is it when you get married, have 2.1 kids, and a white picket fence? How exactly do you measure happiness? It is important not to confuse happiness with possessions. In this country, everyone is always trying to keep up with what their neighbor has. People live outside of their means just to try and get this socially created illusion called happiness. This is not happiness.
There are rich people who are miserable and homeless people that have attained true happiness. Happiness isn’t what you have. Happiness is what you create in your life. Happiness does not come easy and can be lost in a blink. The good thing about happiness is, if you carry it inside yourself and not in your Prada purse or snakeskin wallet, it can be very protected from outside forces that try to take your happiness away.
Now let’s take a look at what happiness really is. If you have ever felt totally enveloped in warmth that seems to grow from inside of you, then you know what happiness feels like. When you do things that create an authentic picture of who you are as a person you will ultimately be happy. Think of the things that make up your core beliefs and values. True happiness comes from choosing to see and interact with your environment in a positive way.
Happiness is directly tied in to your self-esteem. You must first be happy with who you are and let that grow and show in everything you do. It is much easier said than done. Start small and congratulate yourself for every step in the right direction and alternately never punish yourself for getting off track. Part of being happy is accepting that you will make mistakes, things will go wrong, and life will go on.
If you have difficulty hanging on to happiness then you know that you are relying too heavily on outside influences. Write in a journal about everything you are grateful for as well as positive compliments you can give yourself. Look back through it daily, weekly, or whenever you need to give yourself a boost. Once you get the momentum up happiness will come easy and it will fill the hole that you may be trying to fill with the latest merchandise.