Happy

"The constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness.  You have to catch it for yourself" 

- Benjamin Franklin

The feeling of happy is something that we all enjoy and want to feel more of.  However, what does it mean to be happy?  It is the same for everyone?  What makes you happy?  There really is no right or wrong answer.  Each of us has our own people, situations, and things that make us feel happy.  Happy can be defined as pleasure, joy, contentment, achievement, fortune, or being lucky. 

Many spend their life trying to find happiness which is a waste of your time here on earth.  You need to stop and be grateful for what you have in this moment.  And realize that even the smallest things in life bring joy.  The sun shining on your face, your dog sitting at your feet while you read, the calming sound of the rain on the windows, the color and smell of the flowers, and the smile from a stranger.  All those things are worth taking a second to notice and realize that you can be happy now with what you have...not when and if something happens.  Happiness is something you feel and discover from within yourself, not something you seek from others because you feel you lack it and only they can fill that void.  Likewise you cannot seek it from material things.  You have heard the phrase, "money doesn't buy happiness", well it is true.  You have to be happy with what you have now and not with what you could have.  If you are constantly waiting to be happy then you are missing out on your life now.

Happy may mean something completely different to you and I.  In the documentary "Happy", the filmmakers travel the globe to see what happy means to different people and cultures.  A village that some may consider poverty stricken actually showed higher levels of joy and contentment with life than the thriving and more financially fortunate lives of people in a first world country.  They appreciated their daily life, the relationships among each other, and the time they spent together and with the world around them.  That is not to say that those of us in a more financially fortunate culture are not happy.  But it just continues to prove the point that happiness comes from within and gratitude from what you have, not what you don't.  The film is available to view on Netflix and purchase from www.thehappymovie.com.  It is worth a watch.

Take a moment today to list 5 things that you are happy about now.  Continue this practice every day, if you wish, and you will see how much in your life you truly have to be happy for.  Smile and enjoy life and remember that happy is a state of being that only you can control and bring to yourself.  Don't worry, be happy!

"People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness.  Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost."  ~H. Jackson Brown