Finding Happiness

Everyone wants to be happy. It’s kind of engrained in us, because of the way our brains have been wired. Unfortunately, despite brains being wired for happiness producing events, not everyone knows how to get to “happy.” Today, let’s talk about two ways to be happy, and one of them is guaranteed.

What does happiness mean to you? Some people think happiness is getting all or most of the things they want. They always have lists of new things they want or are about to get: cars, vacations, fancy clothes, new furniture for their houses, the latest in electronic entertainment systems or devices, or the latest release from tech giants.

But often these people are deeply discontented, for no matter how much they acquire, they never seem to have enough. A new acquisition brings them pleasure, but the pleasure only lasts for a little while. Happiness is always in the future, always appearing and then disappearing. Happiness becomes like sand, slipping through their fingers. The tighter the grip, the more spills out.

Someone once said that there are two ways to be happy: the first is to have all the things that you want; the second is to have the wisdom to enjoy the things you have. When you practice the second way, you are able to appreciate the beauty that exists in the simplest elements of life. Even in hardship, you will find many reasons to feel joy on a daily basis. That doesn’t stop you from wanting more. You are simply grateful for what you have, now.

You will feel good when you acquire something new. But your real and lasting happiness will be found in relationships, in simple pleasures, in nature, and in actions that show love and caring. If you remember that the time to be happy is now and the place to be happy is where you are, you will find a joy that no amount of money, or abundance of things, can buy.