Dearest hearts, happiness is a choice. It’s not dictated by circumstances beyond your control nor is it something you can achieve when you reach a certain status. No, happiness is a state of mind, a way of being that allows you to feel good about who you are, where you are in your life and what you may be doing regardless of what it is. Your happiness and what’s going on in the world are not related. Today is the day to be happy. This minute is the time to find happiness with all that you are.
If you’re feeling as though things never work out for you or that other people receive the attention and luck you feel you deserve then you’re living your life in reverse
This may sound impossible to some of you but we ask that you stop assigning labels and just get it done. Begin learning to be happy by taking an inventory. Take a moment to look not at the possessions you’ve acquired but at the landscape of the heart. Does your heart feel full of love and goodness or has it become weighed down by bitterness, grief or thoughts of revenge? If you’re feeling as though things never work out for you or that other people receive the attention and luck you feel you deserve then you’re living your life in reverse. You’re looking at what’s happening in your life today as you think about what could have been yesterday. So, in essence, you’re hiding from pain that you participated in in the past and you’re using it to measure how your life is unfolding today. It’s impossible to start a new day with hope and joy in your heart if you’ve ended the previous day rehearsing all of the ways in which you’d been hurt in the past.
If you’re feeling anxious, worried or nervous then you’re living your life before it has had a chance to happen
If you sincerely want to experience happiness instead of just fantasize about it, then you must live in each moment as it presents itself. If you’re feeling anxious, worried or nervous then you’re living your life before it has had a chance to happen. You’ve gotten ahold of a crystal ball and asked it about your future. Then you’re spending all of your time, that could be used making you happy now, trying to create or prevent the future you’ve envisioned within that crystal ball. But what you’re not doing is taking what’s right in front of you and using it to create happiness and satisfaction in this now.
We’re not asking you to stop dreaming, we’re teaching you how to stop hurting
Should you forget about the past? Those glory days as well as those times you regret, absolutely. Should you let go of the future possibilities, the one you desire desperately as well as the one you fear deeply? Absolutely. We’re not asking you to stop dreaming, we’re teaching you how to stop hurting. When you let go of what was and stop obsessing over what will be you’re only left with now. When you have to be present in this moment and all else has been taken from you, you being opening yourself to all that is. You move beyond poor me, sad me, stressed me and hopeless me as you move into “This is me!” This is my life and by staying present to it I can find wonderful aspects that I overlooked previously. When you stop running away from all you’ve created because you’re afraid that it can’t be fixed. When you stop fearing the future because you’ve faced hardships in the past then you step into freedom, into a place of peace and into a way of being that promotes happiness on every level of your being.
Happiness will be yours each and every day if you take the time each day to go within to the quiet space of the heart and express gratitude for all that you have in this moment
Happiness cannot happen without your active participation. Happiness will not become part of your life if you’re determined to re-live the past. Happiness cannot be part of your experience if you live in fear of what if. However, happiness will be yours each and every day if you take the time each day to go within to the quiet space of the heart and express gratitude for all that you have in this moment. When you stay present to where you are now and you acknowledge all that you have in that moment, happiness will have a chance to grow. The seeds of happiness that have been planted in the fertile soil of gratitude will continue to support you even as you move through challenges and face growth opportunities. You may indeed find the path has grown steep but happiness will have become your constant companion no matter how difficult the journey has become.
Being present and grateful for all that is yours in every moment of presence will enable you to live instead of existing and to honor all of your life experiences
In this moment of now. In this space that can only be occupied in the present is where your life is happening. Being present and grateful for all that is yours in every moment of presence will enable you to live instead of exist and to honor all of your life experiences. When you live in the exalted place of this moment, happiness will always be your constant companion.
Good article Marcia. I believe it’s important not to live life in the rear view mirror……to learn from our past, but not spend much time reliving it. As for me, I don’t know the future, but I know Who holds my future, and that is God. As His Word tells me, and has proven to be true, “the joy of the Lord is my strength”. Having an attitude of gratitude, as you suggest, is so important…..a great way to begin each day. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you as well, Mike. May we all live with love and joy in our hearts and as you have so aptly said, live our lives from this point forward. With love and gratitude.
Very nice article, Marcia. You should never forget the past as any mistakes you made back then are more likely to be made again. Life puts you through many twists and turns with certain events that will affect you. I do not choose to be happy or unhappy but I am grateful for all that I have like family, food, a roof over my head and things like that. The future to a large extent is not mine to control. There is always a fear that comes with the anxiety of not knowing what will be. You have to live life as best as you can but not with the mentality the world revolves around you.
Thanks for your insightful comment, Joel. I’m delighted that you find joy in all that you have. May love and joy follow you and your family all the days of your life.
Thank you, Marcia, for your very kind words. Thank you as well for your article.