Preface
What Is Happiness?
The Basics of Happiness
Empowered For Happy Living
Living a Happy Life
“Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances.” ― Benjamin Franklin
Everyone wants to learn the secrets on how to be truly happy in life. For sure, right now, most people in this world are still in pursuit of happiness, a journey that many of them have probably started right from that very moment when they learned about the concept of “happiness.”
There two types of happiness, namely: experienced happiness and remembered happiness. Imagine your friend asking you randomly during lunch time about what you are doing and how happy you actually are at that very moment. That is experienced happiness, the kind of happiness that comes from the things that you do for a particular period of time.
On the other hand, remembered happiness refers to how you think about yourself in general. This is how you will answer that million dollar question “Are you happy with your life?” This is how you remember those years you had in high school, the vacations that you went to, the holidays you have spent with your whole family, the early days of childhood with other kids, your history of jobs, or even your divorce. Remembered happiness is pretty much like the bigger picture or perspective on your state of happiness.
It is not surprising that experienced happiness and remembered happiness do not match all the time. For instance, millionaires in general have higher rate for their remembered selves compared to those people who only earn $50,000 each year. However, a millionaire might have more responsibilities in life. He may experience more pressure in his work, with a larger house to run and a spouse who is more demanding.
It only goes to say that even if they are earning millions, these people might have lesser moments of spontaneous happiness during their day to day lives, and living their lives less happily. Meanwhile, an ordinary employee who considers himself as less happy since he lacks the kind of luxury that he has been dreaming of might, in reality, experience great bliss and pleasure with their jobs, with their family or with their hobbies, thus, they tend to have more blissful moments in their day.
Experienced and remembered happiness might be entirely different things but once you have happy moments in your past and your present, then, you can say that you have reached the so-called true happiness.
Did you ever wonder what it really takes to be truly happy? Many people tried pursuing relationships, money, and success, and most of them have reached that point when they have realized that happiness does not really come from the outside, or from the world where you live in. In all essence, happiness is something that comes from deep within you, lying in that secret place within yourself, waiting for you to finally tap it and release it from its prison.
Happiness is something that has long been present inside you. Finding happiness inside yourself is like peeling off the layers of onion, with each layer representing your thoughts, fears, and negative beliefs. As you slowly peel away each layer (who you are not), you will gradually reach its very core (who you are). And right there and then, you will find your purpose and meaning in life. You will finally discover yourself and learn the real meaning of happiness.
For you to be truly happy, you need not lock yourself up inside a closet and meditate for the rest of your life. To be truly happy, there are some things that you have to learn first and in this book, you are bound to unravel what it takes to finally know the meaning of HAPPINESS.
“True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.” ― Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Happiness is a state of one’s mind. You do not look for it. You do not even have to chase it. Happiness, in truth, lies within yourself, starting from you and ending at you. In the simplest essence, happiness is about getting back your true nature. While other people try to look for happiness through their wealth, career, money and success, you have to understand that happiness is something that you choose for yourself.
Happiness is the underlying foundation that influences the quality of life. Have you ever seen someone who lives in a small house and has an older car? They may not be rich in terms of material things, but they are beyond rich in their happiness.
We all go through things in life that we wish we didn’t have to. This can change how we feel and our outlook. Yet you have a choice to either go through life miserable or to be happy. You are the only one in control of that. There may be plenty of variables in life you can’t control, but your happiness should never be in the hands of someone else.
One of the biggest barriers to true happiness is that we live in a society that tends to encourage us to redeem ourselves with material goods. Then we compare what we have to what others around us have. If they have more, then we may feel that we are less than they. This can really influence the level of happiness that is experienced.
Being too busy can also cause happiness to be pushed to the back burner. If you are always working and running errands that you have no time for yourself and to enjoy life, slow down and focus on what really matters to you. There is no reason to work non-stop or to take care of everything on your own.
Communication is important for true happiness to occur. If you don’t share with others what you want or what you won’t tolerate, they aren’t going to know. Never apologize for laying some ground rules in place for relationships so that you can be happy.
Before you can be truly happy, you have to think about what happiness means to you. What it means for you can be very different from what it means for the next person. Once you have that identified, you can work on improving time management, communication, and change that will allow you to really achieve it. Perceptions can hold you back from being happy so make sure you aren’t your own worst enemy.
You may be saying that you can’t do much about the miserable people around you. While that is true to a point, you can’t let their negativity bring you down to their level either. You need to be happy with the person you see in the mirror and that you think you are.
It is not possible to be happy all the time, but you can be happy most of the time. You can also use your happiness to help you get through the most difficult times in your life. As you read through this book, you may identify some pitfalls that have been holding you back from living a happy life. You can also become empowered with ideas and concepts that you can implement into your daily routine. By doing so, they will soon become a habit and something that you automatically take part in every single day.