How Can I be Happy?
“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”- Abraham Lincoln.
The perennial question facing us with no easy answers is “How can I be happy?”
It’s difficult to define happiness. Happiness means different things to different people. It may even change for people as they go through different phases of life. If a child wondered, ‘How can I be happy?’ the answer would probably lie with a cookie or a game he liked. A teenager would think how can I be happy and expect to find it in a thrilling experience or in the freedom that she enjoys. The question how I can be happy has different implications as a person matures with age and experience. Grown ups would probably find happiness in other areas more related to relations and emotions.
A very general and simple description of happiness is “a state of contentment and well being”. You feel happy when you are satisfied with things you have or things around you and enjoy the experience. But then why does one keep thinking – how can I be happy?
Does the answer of “How can I be happy” lie in cessation of what makes you unhappy as a person in misery like one facing a death sentence would like just one day of life to be happy. Those who are in the midst of war or destruction, or a natural calamity would only want a normal life to be happy. A life that we live everyday wishing that some kind of happiness will fall into our laps. Sometimes you have most of the things you desire but may still feel unhappy. You are constantly chased by the question,”How can I be happy?”
How can I be happy by controlling my thinking?
Whether you are happy or unhappy is actually a state of mind. The thoughts that keep ringing in your mind decide your reactions to the experiences you have in your life.
If you have reached a certain level of success in your business venture the thought of someone else achieving more makes you miserable and you wonder “How can I be happy?”
I would enjoy your success instead of worrying about how can I be happy if this success may be gone and I am unable to enjoy my life and my success? How can I be happy if I’m never satisfied with my own self and my own achievements? Competition and success are only one aspect of the feeling of happiness and need not become the sole factor that determines your state of mind.
How can I be happy by living in the present?
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.”- Helen Keller
Valuing what you have today is a sure way of feeling happy and an answer to the complicated question,” How can I be happy?” When we focus all our thoughts on the present rather than brood over what we lost earlier or worry about what we may miss in future, the feelings of happiness increase.
It’s a good idea to leave the past behind and make a fresh beginning by reflecting on how can I be happy with what I have in hand at present.
How can I be happy by loving life and loving people around me?
Love and affection is the remedy for most of the uneasiness we experience in life. How can I be happy if my heart is filled with hatred? While unbeaten success, fame, recognition, money and other material possessions can give satisfaction and increase happiness to a certain extent, love creates an everlasting feeling of happiness and contentment for ourselves and others around us. If I fill my mind and heart with dislike, how can I get love and satisfaction from myself, my work, my colleagues or other acquaintances? Happiness comes when you give and receive love in life.
How can I be happy by enjoying my life?
We can make the most of our leisure time by creating a variety of interests such as reading, painting, listening to music, meeting people and doing just what we love to do. How can I be happy if I have nothing exciting to do in my free time? We look forward to vacations or free time for taking up exciting activities. When you have fun and think happily endorphins are released naturally thus increasing energy levels in your body.
Happiness lives more within our mind than outside. If I am in control of my thoughts, if I have a positive attitude, if I have love for life and the people around me, there are many things that can make me happy and let that feeling will remain for ever. Then I won’t need to ask the question “How can I be happy?”
All the best,
Natalie Dee
London Life Coach & Business Coach, London UK
Certified High Performance Coach & Master NLP Practitioner
020 3411 4888
Natalie Dee, London Life Coach works in the area of lifestyle management as a London life coach, using life coaching with confidence coaching and NLP both in London and throughout the UK, applying techniques such as NLP,EFT and Hypnotherapy to improve levels of self-confidence as well as relationships, personal health, finance and career. Life coaching London, UK and worldwide available.
