Why is it that we human beings always put off our happiness? Why are we so dependent on one or two EXTERNAL factors to make us happy?
“I’ll be happy once I land that perfect job.”
“I’ll be happy when I get married.”
“I’ll be happy when I lose the last 10 pounds.”
Do any of these sound familiar to you? Come on, fess up. We all do it. If you have ever made one of these I’ll-be-happy-when statements then you know that you probably won’t be happy when you reach your goal either. Why is that? I really thought I would be happy once I left my soul sucking job. But when I found myself still making those I’ll-be-happy-when statements, I knew I would never find the happiness that I seek from situations that are outside of me. We can only cultivate peace, joy, and happiness for ourselves inside of ourselves. The truth is that you have probably heard this before and find yourself asking “What the hell does that mean?” So let me tell you…
It’s about attitude, appreciation, and application. The 3 A’s.
- Attitude: What is the attitude that you are carrying around with you every single day? What are you mirroring out into the world? Why aren’t YOU happy with YOU? What internal work do you have to do on yourself to love yourself again? Your outside circumstances are always a reflection of your inner condition.
- Appreciation: Being grateful is an instant mood turner. Look around you and notice every single thing in your life that you have to be grateful for. You’re alive aren’t you? And when you don’t feel like you have a single thing to be grateful for, go out and be that person that someone else will appreciate. As the late Maya Angelou said, “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” And lastly, appreciate your journey. It’s not about the destination, it’s about the trials and tribulations of getting there. It’s the lessons that you learned along the way that make the destination worth getting to. Live in the present moment enjoying the journey.
- Application: Take the time to actually apply these principles. It sounds really nice and sort of makes sense right? But what would happen if you actually applied some or all of these into your life? Well, shucks, you might actually be happier today! Stop looking outside for what you’ve already got on the inside. Work towards a better you so that you can have many more sunny days even when it is raining outside.
I was called to write about this topic today and I hope it served you.
XOXO