Like everything else, Happiness is also a Choice
The core of every endeavour, every pursuit and every single action of man is to attain happiness. Yet we are a miserable lot in this world. For most of us, it is a mirage which has been eluding us throughout life. If you peep into a center for mental health services, or any mental health center in California, you will be astonished to see so many dejected faces looking for solace.
But, is it really so difficult to be happy in our lives? The fact is, it is not. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
There are several recent studies to vindicate this claim that happiness is a choice and we can choose to be happy at will. Two U.S. academics, Yuna L. Ferguson and Kennon M. Sheldon conducted a study which revealed that people who chose to be happy were happier than those who did not while participating in it. Studies in the field of positive psychology also buttress this belief that happiness is a cultivated habit.
So, how do we find happiness and stay happy? Let us find our way to happiness and stay blessed:
Choose happiness: First thing in the morning, before getting out of the bed, make a choice for yourself. Choose to be happy throughout the day and then go about your business. It is a habit and needs to be reiterated before it gets embedded in your DNA. It is a wonderful feeling and experience when you see happiness sipping into your life from every aspect.
Share your happiness: The Buddha claims, “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” In other words, whenever you are happy let others also have a piece of the pie. Sharing our happiness only increases it manifold.
Be grateful: Practicing gratitude and thankfulness increases happiness. Studies reveal that those who are grateful appreciate simple pleasures of life and enjoy a happy disposition. That is why we take our Thanksgiving Day very seriously. Be grateful for all that you have in your life and count your blessings every now and then. When you lament, it only brings miseries.
Be non-judgemental: Much of our energy and peace is sapped because of being judgemental. We always remain critical of people, situations and events over which we have no control. However, the moment we become non-judgemental much of our stress dissipates and we become a lot calmer. By being non-judgemental we also reconcile to the fact that we have chosen happiness for ourselves. So, become non-judgemental and enhance your happiness quotient.
Now, that you know the choice is yours choose happiness and keep spreading your joy to others as well.
