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Did you know Happiness is a desire that transcends cultures, races, sexual orientations, borders, and even backgrounds? It may seem elusive as it is always out of many people’s grasp.  Imagine happiness being something you cannot only achieve once but continually.  How would your life change if you could achieve and experience happiness daily? Through this article, I will explore what happiness is, why we want it, and how to achieve it and maintain it daily. 

Happiness was first discovered in China, India & Greece about 2500 years ago, with well-known philosophers:  Confucius, Buddha, Socrates, and Aristotle.  Thus, this pursuit has evolved for many years, and people often seek it in either external or internal happiness.  Understanding that just because someone appears to be happy on the outside may be far from how they feel on the inside.  Happiness makes us feel that we have a bounce in our step, deep gratitude, and intense satisfaction, which is not a fleeing momentary emotion but one that lasts for a long time.

One type of happiness comes from external people, places, things, and rewards that we can see. Some people are solely focused on money, cars, homes, and other luxury to be their source of joy and happiness.  Often, you will find yourself doing something someone else wants instead of what you want to do.  I’m not saying one should not have nice possessions, cars, and homes, but realize they should not be your sole joy.  Many will often be taken down a detour in life, which is fine if these things or people don’t control or cause you to live a life not rooted in your purpose.  Did you know that chasing external pleasures solely may have you experiencing sorry and dissatisfaction?

Another form of happiness is derived from internal feelings such as love, peace, joy, excitement, and satisfaction.  Did you know inner happiness may be felt strongly despite external situational circumstances?  Learning how to derive more enjoyment internally can be done by becoming more aware of yourself.  Take time to understand your values, beliefs, and priorities and reflect on the ones that bring you happiness from within.  Generating happiness will enable you to feel a sense of control, and will inevitably achieve it daily.

Now that we have learned there are two ways happiness can be created internally and externally, let's look at how to use these both to develop a habit to keep us happy.  Start by creating a unique happiness blueprint, a list, and pictures of things that fuel our happiness.  It can be as simple as a list of everything you know that fuels you to be happy or a collage of words and pictures to activate joy in your body.  This list may take you time to compile; thus, take your time and make a journal of everything that makes you happy for a few days.  Next, put them into a document and create a collage by gathering pictures representing those forms of happiness in your life.  Include all the activities, experiences, relationships, and situations that bring you genuine joy and happiness.

Gratitude and mindfulness are great places to start whenever you want to get more of something in your life.  Feel free to use my daily ritual, “John’s Alphabet of Gratitude,” where I take a rock in my hand in the morning before I go to sleep and feel two things for every letter in the Alphabet.  Notice I said feel, not think because we express gratitude when we feel something in our hearts.  Mindfulness can be accomplished in many ways, such as closing your eyes in a chair while listening to some 417 Hertz Music and just thinking of nothing and allowing yourself to be.

Knowing that meaningful relationships can deliver abundant happiness, whether spiritual or not.  Thus, I choose to be open to connecting with people, building friendships, and maintaining them.  Remember that no one has the right to make you feel inferior about yourself for any reason except one person: you!  Choose to nurture empathy and compassion in these relationships.  Know that your heart implies that you care about the other person and sense their feelings. In other words, when you are empathetic, you can walk in their shoes briefly.  A sympathetic person will also show concern, offer to help, and inspire but choose not to sense your feelings.

Continuous learning, self-improvement, discovering your mission, and aligning it with your daily purpose are essential to personal growth and revealing your purpose.  Remembering the first time you got that excellent grade on a test or completed a class immediately makes you feel proud, satisfied, and happy.

Feeling stressed, having anxiety, experiencing negative thought patterns, or frustration as something is just not going as quickly as you had hoped.  Challenges and obstacles are our greatest gifts, inspiring us to rise to the occasion and become a better version of ourselves.  Saying that I got dealt a lousy hand of cards or I can’t, I won’t, it’s not possible, or other words are only going to push that promise further away.  We need to change our language and know that our terms become things, and our thoughts today will shape us into the person we will be tomorrow.

Life is all about the journey and not seeing your promises at a destination but just one stop along the way.  Embrace the idea that you can be happy every time you set small promise milestones and celebrate them each time.  Take time every day to find joy and happiness in the present moment. 

Understanding what makes us happy is not a cookie-cutter recipe endeavor, as it won’t be the same for everyone.  One needs to dive deeply into one's personal life and commit to this process of self-awareness, reflection, mindfulness, nurturing relationships, pursuing personal promises, alignment of actions, and celebrating any milestone reached.  Again, happiness is not a destination but a fun life-long ride well worth embarking upon

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