Happiness is not the absence of problems, it is the ability to deal with them.
Happiness is not the absence of problems, it is the ability to deal with them.
You can make a choice to be happy or not. It is never the result of anything, much as we might believe it to be so.
Take for example, one might come to the conclusion of a project, artwork, or any other focused effort. At the end of such experience, one has the right to be happy, if for no other reason than the project has been completed. Yet, the option to be happy remains just that, an option. Some may get to the end of the project and feel bittersweet about it. On one hand, there is the joy of completion, on the other hand, one may or may not feel content with the outcome. Or the opposite may be true… one may be so thrilled with the outcome and joyous about the entire creation process that to see it come to an end leaves everyone a bit dispirited. This happens at the end of a film or television show or theatrical play… the cast and crew bond, become a micro family unit, and hearts are heavy when the day comes that this congregation of people is coming to an end. They have been so focused, so determined, so collaborative, that a hive mentality is formed and their small herd of humans are comfortable operating in that collective.
Nothing is going to make you happy unless you choose to feel that emotion. Someone can buy you the present of your dreams and in that moment, you could presuppose that you would HAVE TO BE HAPPY. But that is not so. There are personality types that are never happy. In that situation they might find a problem or a fault with the tiniest of details. Say for example, their spouse shows up with a brand new car that they completely desire. In the absence of happiness, they may decide they do not like the interior, or the rims, or a special feature that the vehicle has or does not have. No person will ever make them happy until they choose to be happy. If they have not learned this lesson, then they are going to be in a desert wasteland, continuously seeking a happiness quotient that is impossible to find except until such time as they look within.
They can spend the rest of their lives looking for the person that will make them happy, but like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, they have the magic power within and no external force will ever make it possible for them to achieve this happiness.
Because happiness can ONLY come from within.
They say that money can buy happiness. In my personal experience, I have had moments where I had millions of dollars, and been miserable and moments where I was dead broke, and been in a great frame of mind. Money facilitates the opportunity to be happy, but without your internal cooperation, it, in and of itself, is not the answer. Genuine happiness does not come to you, it comes from you. If you do not understand this subtle difference, you will be waiting for happiness to arrive for an entire lifetime.
And what a waste of a great life that would be.
Happy (your choice) Friday!
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