Thoughts on Happiness

Many books suggest that repeating mantras can help you find happiness. They offer mantras for when you are feeling sad, and others for when you feel frustrated. Repeat them all the time. But, does this repetition really make you happy? Repetition does serve to reaffirm a belief. It stimulates your subconscious and makes it become part of your conscience. But does that make you happy? Yes, but only if you were already happy.

By repeating something you already feel and of which you are already convinced, even if subconsciously, you reaffirm it. After repeating it so many times, you start to feel better because you yourself are sending positive messages.

So, if you are not happy, should you practice repetition? No, because you will only become more frustrated. It is very difficult to trick yourself – you are smart! If you repeat something that your subconscious recognizes as false, you will only achieve feeling anguished and frustrated at not getting what you expected.

There are as many kinds “happiness” as there are people

Your happiness is unique. Everyone sees and perceives happiness differently. It is not prefabricated, it is not a concrete reality. Whatever makes your family or your neighbors or your friends happy does not have to be what makes you happy.

For some people, happiness lies in success. For others, it is fame; and for others, perhaps, it is wealth. For you, it could be finding your ideal partner, discovering a marvelous new writer, or listening to your favorite music.

Every moment of your life is different. You have grown since yesterday and continue growing today. What made you happy before may not even matter to you now. This happens because you set new goals and achieving them will make you happy.

The two parts to happiness

First, you have to understand what makes you happy. Get to know your needs, your aspirations, and your desires. This is how you will come to find your happiness. If you are someone who is always thinking of new goals before you achieve your current ones, you should modify your thinking. You cannot always be on the road; sometimes you have to stop and celebrate.

Learn to enjoy your achievements. Value everything you have done and the work you put into it. This is how you will feel happy. You will see how good it feels to really indulge yourself for a moment.

Then you can go back for more. This is show it should be. Every time you achieve a goal or satisfy a need, others arise. It is important for you to be clear on your goals. What do you really want to do? Sometimes we think that if we pursue something outside of our normal routine or habits – if we think outside the box – it will result in disaster. But you know that is not true!

The second step is to do what you really want to do. This can be really difficult because sometimes what you want to do is unconventional. But, if it is what you want to do, do it. If you like painting, dance, or poetry, try it!

But you don’t need to leave everything else behind to dedicate yourself exclusively to that one thing. You can develop it gradually. See how you feel when you do it or try it, and if you feel happy, you have won the lottery. Dedicate more time to it – it really is worth it and will do you good.

Let go of adverse feelings

Try to avoid things that drain your energy. Avoid stress and unnecessary arguments. In addition to hurting you, all of these things keep you from seeing what is happening around you. Surely, there are good things happening, things that have to do with your goals or needs, but you may not recognize them because you are distracted by other situations or questions.

It is very important during this entire process to set your priorities straight. Prioritize being happy. Yes, making a lot of money is good for you, but it should not be your only goal in life. After all, it is more important to be happy. Focus more of your energy into being happy.

Feature image courtesy of Balazs Kovacs Images