Where is your happiness? Is it out there, somewhere, in something, or someone? Will you find it in your job? Will you find happiness in your relationships? Will you find it when you get what you want? I had been searching for happiness for quite some time. Always somewhere outside of myself. I recently learned something that has changed my life. I found that happiness was right under my nose!

W. Beran Wolfe said, “If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias in his garden. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator.” I believe that the latter part of this quote holds the key. It’s probably true that if you’re searching for happiness, your trying to hard. Why? I believe that happiness is right there inside of us – always. We do not need to search for it. Although some happenings do make us temporarily happy, happiness is not in the money we earn, or what we buy with it. It’s not in how well we do at work or in life that determines if we are happy or not – unless we set it up that way. I figured out, that in the past, this had always been my problem. In the past, I made it impossible to feel as happy as I do now, unless something turned out exactly the way I wanted it to. I am learning now, that happiness is a state of body and mind I can choose to experience, no matter what the surrounding circumstances.

Nathaniel Hawthorne said, “Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” Happiness exists readily in each of us. It is natural. Joy is within us all. Happiness is simple, but we have forgotten that we need not look for it. Happiness is always there if we allow it to be.

Don’t Wait – Be Happy Now

So why wait to be happy? Please don’t misunderstand. I know we can’t always be happy. There are times in life where it isn’t going to be possible in that moment. Obviously, when a loved one passes away or gets sick, we naturally feel sadness and grief. Sadness and grief have a part in life. However, we do need to be careful that we do not stay in those emotional states and dwell in the negative feelings more that we need to. That could form a bad habit that can lead to less happiness for us down the road.

So, changing our focus back to happiness now, what are we waiting for? Is looking for happiness outside of ourselves going to work? I looked inside myself and found, that I can choose to feel happiness whenever I want, because it’s inside, regardless of what is going on outside of me. I have learned that how we feel comes down to the meaning we attach to happenings.

So what if I didn’t impress my boss. Should I be miserable for days? So what if I missed the ball game I really wanted to attend? Should I take it out on my family? So what if I didn’t finish in first place. Should I feel like a loser for months? So what if I didn’t reach my goal this time. Should I feel worthless and quit on the goal? No – I have a choice! I can choose to try again, take the positives from any situation, know that I am learning and creating self improvement and enjoy the journey!

I hope you choose to enjoy your life’s journey.