The other day I came across the quotation, “Happiness is a state of mind.” Though I agree, I think it is a state of mind that needs to be fed and nurtured regularly. After all, we are human beings and thus have feelings that tend to fluctuate. Some days we are happy while at other times something can happen to rock our boat and we can slide a little backwards. Even though we may want to be happy all the time, is this really possible?
Happiness, I believe, is a choice: you have to want to be happy and make the decision for yourself. Both in my personal life and now as I coach others, I have observed the power of the Law of Attraction: you attract what you pay attention to. If you consciously indulge in things and associate with people who have a positive outlook you will notice that things will automatically start to align. You will not only start attracting positive events and situations but will also start making your choices accordingly.
If you want to create more happiness in your life, begin by paying attention to your thoughts. What kind of thoughts go through your mind daily? Are they encouraging, uplifting, and positive or do you beat yourself down and lean towards focusing on the negative side of things? Next, ask yourself, “Do I really want to be happy?” Though you may think the obvious answer is “yes,” the actual answer might surprise you. Maybe you’re not 100% convinced that it is possible to be happy or perhaps you don’t know quite how to get there.
So what are the circumstances in which people choose unhappiness over happiness?
Let’s say someone is going through a loss of an emotional nature: their relationship just ended, they just got divorced, they lost a parent or a child or any other grief-related incident. In these circumstances, the person is probably distraught, heartbroken, devastated and experiencing pain. An individual may even make a conscious choice during this time to stay away from anything that represents happiness simply because they are not ready. In other situations, people can be afraid to strive for happiness, thinking that something bad will happen and they will be disappointed. At other times, some may feel they do not deserve to be happy. When someone actually believes this, they start to attract and create things accordingly.
In almost all situations choosing unhappiness over happiness is a conscious decision. If you are looking to increase happiness in your life, start by paying attention to what you think and believe in as well as what you choose on a daily basis – happiness or unhappiness. The first step towards being happy is to choose happiness!
Photo by Jessica Tam via Flickr.
I have been choosing happiness for years. I began when I was in the worst of a lifelong pain condition that was exacerbated by cancer. I decided to stop suffering because I realized pain just is, suffering is an action, so I stopped. Now 10 years later, I am blissfully happy. I smile alll the time. I meditate every day and think of ways to be of service despite my disability. Way back in the beginning I realized that then the only thing I could do for others was to smile, That was a big part of finding happiness ,smiling is addictive and it changes the neurotransmitter levels in the brain. Go smile. Be well, Steven
I made it a goal in 2010, after a terrible breakup, to be happy for an entire year. It wasn’t as difficult as I expected because, you’re right, it is a choice. I write about my experience here http://sillygrrl.com/2010/12/28/year-long-happiness-goal-the-results/