Not what we have but what we use, not what we see but what we choose – these are the things that mar or bless human happiness. - John Mason
To be happy is the pursuit of any normal human being. Compared to sadness, happiness breeds an atmosphere of joy and strength that sustains and energizes us.
To be happy at work, to be happy at play, to be happy in our homes and amidst our family is something that all of us desire.
But how do we find this happiness?
Here are five truths that I trust will clearly define it for you.
1. Happiness doesn’t come from what we have
I have seen happier people in an African village hut with a dirt floor than someone I knew who lived in a multi-million dollar mansion overlooking water, with the Riviera and jet skis parked near or on the pontoon, and the 7 series BMW parked in their garage.
It’s a fact that having things, having talent, having money, and having all the trappings will not necessarily equate to happiness in your life.
But how much better it is to be happy with or without – whether you abound or are abased.
2. Happiness comes from what we use
By simply deciding to be happy, no matter what you find yourself doing at the time, it will lead to only one thing – happiness.
I have experienced happiness cleaning toilets, packing shelves, writing and publishing books, conducting meetings as the CEO of my own company, coaching other businesses and speaking professionally.
It’s not what I have done that has been my greatest source of happiness. It has been using what I have at the time with the knowledge and understanding I had. Joy has been bred by having an attitude to be ever learning and ever growing in a state of happiness.
3. Happiness doesn’t come from what we see
Some say ‘seeing is believing’. I would rather declare that ‘believing is in seeing’.
When I have at times had to do things that may not have necessarily fitted my ‘dream’ list of activities, I have learnt to be happy by focussing on my own personal dream for my future, recognising that the current task I may be engaged in is simply a vehicle that is carrying me to my destination.
Life is filled with seasons, and by approaching the summers, winters, autumns or falls and springs of our life with a positive attitude, then happiness can be our companion throughout the coldest morning, the sunniest afternoon, or the darkest night.
4. Happiness comes from what we choose
Choice is a magnificent word. We can, in an instant, choose to be unhappy, and yet on the flipside of that we can also choose to be happy.
Every day, throughout the three years that I owned and operated a cleaning business, I had the choice to either approach each dirty house or factory I faced with a smile or a frown.
Satisfaction was gained by focussing on the end result of each completed cleaning assignment before I even started. Two outcomes were presented to me – a place was transformed into a property that shone in a state of cleanliness that I created and this filled me with a healthy sense of pride, and secondly the financial reward received for a job well done.
In business for myself, I was in charge of my own destiny without being at the beck and call of an employer.
5. Happiness must rise from within
John Mason states that ‘these are the things that mar or bless human happiness.’ So dependant upon how you apply the above four truths, your happiness will be determined.
Happiness must rise from within, unaffected by the circumstances surrounding us.
Take time to develop this winning habit – a state of ‘dissatisfied satisfaction’ that moves you forward towards your dreams, filled with happiness, and you will experience nothing less than a blessed life.
So what are you going to do today to put a stamp of happiness on your life?
Peter G. James Sinclair
____________________________________________________
0 facebook:
Post a Comment