1. There is a difference between fleeting happiness and long-term happiness. Fleeting happiness is short-lived and almost entirely created by your external circumstances. If you are on a beach in Mexico sipping a margarita on a warm, sunny day, you are probably going to be happy. Other the other hand, being a happy person (experiencing long-term happiness) is almost entirely determined by the lenses through which you view your external circumstances. In his book, The Happiness Advantage, positive psychology expert, Shawn Achor, explains that if he knew everything about your life (and I mean everything), he would only be able to predict ten percent of your long-term happiness. Ninety per cent of your long-term happiness is determined by how your brain processes your external circumstances – your perceptions and thoughts. Choose them wisely.
2. The point of life is happiness. Despite what past generations have believed and taught us, we are not here to suffer. We are not here to do the “right” thing even if it makes us miserable. We are not here to please others. We are not here to do anything, actually. We are not here to accomplish great things, to achieve success, or to save the world. You are here to be things. You are here to be a bright light in this world by being joyful, kind, generous, helpful, compassionate, and yes, happy. If what you do is work hard to be happy, then in your own, unique way, you will accomplish great things, achieve success, and save the world.
3. Happiness often takes practice. Be on the lookout for those times you are tempted to sabotage your happiness because it’s a foreign feeling or you’re entering unfamiliar territory. If you have that “angst thing” nailed down, it may require fierce commitment to consciousness in order to abstain from re-entering your comfort zone and resist returning to your default setting. Practice the art of choosing to be happy. If you have to practice happiness several times a day, so be it. Keep on, keeping’ on. Some folks are pretty much pros at being unhappy so if that’s the case for you, just keep working away at your new craft. Stay the course.
4. Happiness requires trust and gratitude. Another natural reaction to sustained happiness is fear – a fear of this goodness ending or being snatched away. This fear of scarcity is often demonstrated in new mothers as they hover over the crib of their newborn full of terror that this source of happiness is going to stop breathing. Have you ever been so happy that you end up being completely paranoid that it will leave your grasp? These feelings of scarcity can lead to sabotage or just plain old neurosis which can eradicate positive feelings just as much as the goodness ending or being snatched away. Because we have been let down, broken hearted, and left in the dust before, we convince ourselves that with this happiness we will meet that same fate once again. We wait for the proverbial “other shoe to drop” which compromises our positive feelings which can nicely create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Ever been so frightened of happiness ending that you ended up co-creating that reality? Release the fear of scarcity and enter a mindset of trust. Trust that all will be well. Have faith that the universe doesn’t make mistakes. The unplanned changes in life are what lead you down paths you simply didn’t know you were supposed to take. And be grateful. When those fears of scarcity arise, choose to be grateful instead. Stress cannot exist where there is gratitude.
5. You have nothing to learn in order to be happy. In fact, at the beginning of your life you were a master of happiness because you hadn’t yet learned to judge, have expectations, and attach your self-worth to possessions, relationships, and achievements. The only reason happiness has become a challenge is because of your beliefs and thought patterns. The key to happiness is to un-learn what has hindered your ability to be that master of happiness you once were. Happiness isn’t a case of learning at all. The question is…what do you need to let go of in order to be happy?