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Everyone wants to be happy…don’t you? “I just want to be happy” is probably the number 1 answer to the question, “What do you want out of life”?
The pursuit of happiness is a phrase with which we are all familiar. It is part of a longer phrase in the Declaration of Independence which states that we are all endowed with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In this country we are all free to look for happiness anywhere we wish.
The problem however is that most people are generally dissatisfied and unhappy in their pursuit. They seem to be chasing or searching for this thing called happiness in all the wrong places.
Most people appear to be displeased with what they have. There is a sense that no matter what one gets or achieves there is a nagging desire for more. If having more is a main component for achieving happiness than the race will never be won because it will never be over! (See Change Your Attitude).
In this month’s Newsletter I write about the concept of happiness and the Happiness Myth. The seductive idea that if only you ...
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The Happiness Myth
Let’s start with this: Happiness, like any emotion is never constant but will likely come and go as will boredom and dissatisfaction. Happiness is a state of being content, in good cheer and generally experiencing feelings of optimism. It is a state of mind which ebbs and flows and has highs and lows.
Most people can feel happy for at least a short period of time. Unless a person is clinically depressed, having feelings of sadness, upset, discontent or anxiety are all part of the human condition. We humans are capable of experiencing the whole spectrum of emotions and can do so depending upon the circumstances in our lives at the time.
Despite this fact we are driven to believe that we have a “right” to be happy; as if someone or something is in charge of all the happiness in the world and is keeping it from us. We seem to believe that finding happiness requires great effort but are not sure how or where to acquire it. It is as though happiness can somehow be collected, like a trophy.
So what is this incessant search for happiness about?
It would appear that some of us believe that finding happiness is akin to having some gr...
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