How to Have True Happiness?
Content Written/Updated on May 4, 2007
Our purpose in life is to have happiness, to feel happy, to be happy. However, what makes each of us happy varies from person to person. Going for a walk in the woods may be a happy experience for me, but for somebody else robbing banks may sound more appealing. Why do some of us find happiness in everyday activities while others need extraordinary events to give them a sense of fulfillment? Why do some of us find happiness by being good while others find it while breaking the rules? The secret lies in true happiness.
What is True Happiness?
True happiness is the feeling we have when we believe that we are doing everything right, we are living by our values and morals, our current situation is what we believe we want and deserve, and, most importantly, we are able to appreciate the current moment as well as all of the events that led to it.
True Happiness Comes from Our Core Beliefs
Our core beliefs are the ideas that define how we perceive the world. We perceive an experience and judge it against our core beliefs to determine if the experience was pleasurable or painful. If you have a core belief that you must have lots of adventures to make your life worth living, you will gain pleasure from doing something daring, dangerous, and extraordinary, like climbing a mountain. If you have a core belief that you must protect your life because it is valuable, you will likely avoid any daring or dangerous activities and will probably spend enjoy doing things that make you feel secure, like sitting in the safety of your own home while watching a documentary about climbing a mountain. Happiness is just a matter of perspective.
We all try to have true happiness by living in accordance with our core beliefs. Most of us don't even realize that we are doing this. If you're core beliefs are reasonable and attainable and they don't conflict with each other, you can easily experience true happiness just by living by your values. If you find yourself always feeling inadequate or hopeless, though, your core beliefs, not the events in your life, may be your problem.
A more difficult method, but often more successful, to have true happiness is to change our core beliefs. Since our core beliefs start forming the moment we are born, they become ingrained routines, and it often takes a great amount of effort, experience, and self-reflection to reprogram our minds with new routines. If we can teach ourselves to have reasonable expectations and attainable goals, and be mindful of the present, we can have true happiness even in the most difficult adversity.
True Happiness Happens when You Are Living in the Moment
True happiness only happens when we live in the moment.
Reminiscing can be pleasurable, but if we are looking to the past to remember when we were happier than we are now, then we are neglecting the happiness we have right now. To have true happiness while reminiscing, we need to let ourselves feel blessed in the present for having had the opportunity to experience and remember such happy events.
Daydreaming about the future can also be pleasurable, but if we are looking to the future to hope that we'll be happier than we are right now, then we are neglecting the happiness we are already experiencing. To have true happiness while looking forward, we must let ourselves feel blessed in the present for having the opportunity to dream, have hope, and try to make those dreams come true.
The best way to bring more happiness into your life, to be happier, is to spend more time focusing on what things make you happy at this moment. To have true happiness at every moment, we must let ourselves enjoy the blessings of each moment.
...by Feed