Have Questions~ Have Answers? #10- What Makes You Happy?


What Makes You Happy?
I took this idea from a television advert and cannot recall the conclusion however it is a very important question. If we don’t know what makes us happy, how can we increase our level of happiness? Where do we look for happiness?  How much of our time do we actually feel happy or are we disinclined to enjoy life? Some people are more geared towards complaining and becoming stressed over every little thing that they lose their ability to appreciate the joys of everyday living.
We need to search within for happiness. Unfortunately some of us tend to rely on others rather than themselves which is easy to do but when you consider everything it doesn’t make sense- how can another person know what needs we have to fulfil? Obviously many of our needs will be fulfilled, especially when we are in tune with others or are around people who have trained themselves to be responsible for others, but when no-one is around we are our own raw material.
When you feel happy you may like to take a second to consider why and likewise, if you are miserable, identify the cause. Nobody can be happy 100% of the time but we can aim to be happy for a great deal more of our lives, awareness being the first step in this direction. We constantly make choices which are programmed by conditioning, so we need to adjust and re-write the programme which may be a considerable challenge. Creating happiness is not unlike attaining a new skill, infact it is probably beneficial to view it as such to make the process easier to manage. The better we get the better we feel and we can celebrate our improvements. People will definitely respond well to us when we are happy because they are more likely to be well received.
Everyone knows that money doesn’t make you happy but it helps- simply by allowing more choice. Choice is key and we can use this on a small level to improve our lives. Today for example, I got off the bus early and went for a walk by the river before swapping to the second bus- a little act that made a huge difference to my enjoyment of the day and it didn’t cost anything extra at all. You can set yourself little challenges, possibly buying a new item of clothing for £5 to bring minor doses of happiness- there’s satisfaction to be found when working successfully within a budget.
Making others happy should be at the top of our list once we are sufficiently grounded and able to do so. If a person is depressed they will probably not be able to extend their thoughts beyond themselves, but whoever you are or whatever your state of mind, finding things to be thankful for helps to bring happiness towards us and more good experiences.
What is happiness? Not easy to define beyond a feeling of intense pleasure or well-being and sometimes we barely notice if it’s missing from our lives, but once we focus on it life definitely improves and we enjoy living. Happiness can be enjoying an act of kindness, a romantic thought, a thrilling experience or just appreciation of the world around us. It can be found once we eliminate toxic thoughts and is one of the most precious gifts that we are given. Happiness is a form of freedom, so appreciate your life and develop as many opportunities to feel happy as you can every day.
Jaz McKenzie

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