Many people view happiness as subjective; that it can be different for everyone and thus impossible to develop a “one size fits all” approach to finding happiness. Yet it seems deep down inside everyone I’ve met and worked with, there’s something deeper and more common then we think in all of us; the yearning for peace of mind.
We’ve all heard the statement, “you can’t buy happiness.” Some of us, myself included, have often responded with something like, “that’s something only rich people say,” or “give me a million and let me try!” Even though we may believe this statement to be true, we still attempt to find happiness through monetary rewards or material possessions don’t we? I’m one freakin’ happy guy I think, yet there are times when I still struggle with wanting new things. The latest is a new road bike.
The difference today is I just get more creative at rationalizing things. However, I am more aware of my motives today; before I spend my hard earned money on something I really ask myself if it’s something I need. More often then not, I end up putting stuff back on the shelf.
My point is that through self-knowledge and enlightenment, getting to know our true authentic self, we are better able to see our motives in all aspects of life. And better yet, we’re better equipped to understand that we really can’t buy happiness. That all we really want deep down is some inner-peace and an overall feeling that everything is going to be OK.
The reason why we continue to fall back into materialistic thinking is… it’s just so darn easy. Society is constantly telling us we need this or that in order to fit in, be popular, or even have happiness. Generally people want the easy way out; who wouldn’t? In the rat race of society, who has the time to stop, meditate, and listen to their inner-self and what our true needs and/or motives are? However, anyone I know that is truly happy consistently works towards inner-peace through self-enlightenment and knowledge.
I can honestly say that the more time I spend taking care of self (exercising, meditating, praying, resting, etc.) the happier I am. That may sound a little selfish, but the healthier our relationship is with self, the more we have to offer others.
Another thing that really makes me happy is giving stuff away. A few months ago, author Guy Finley sent me a copy of his new book, The Courage to be Free: Discovering Your Original Fearless Self (Amazon). I’ve always been a big fan of his and truly loved this book. One of the reasons is because it’s only 114 pages long but packed with great wisdom and things I’ll refer to for years!
I liked the book so much I purchased 2 more copies to give away. (Actually, my mother gave me a Visa gift card for my birthday last month and I used that to purchase some extra copies. Hey, you gotta give it away to keep it right!).
So here’s the deal, simply leave a comment (scroll down to where it says, “Leave a Comment”) at the bottom of this post finishing the sentence, “Happiness is…” and that will enter you for a chance to win a free copy of The Courage to be Free: Discover Your Original Fearless Self by Guy Finley.
Now for the rules and way the contest will work:
- Comment must be posted by 11:59 P.M. U.S. CST on September 7th 2010.
- Names will be placed in a randomizer and two winners will be chosen.
- Since I’ll contact the winners by email, you must use a valid email address.
- If a winner does not respond within 48 hours of the email being sent, I’ll select another winner from the list.
I’ll get everyone started with a few of my own:
Happiness is Taking a long walk off a short pier… (just kidding)
No, but seriously here is a list I came up with to get everyone started:
- Happiness is a breezy Sunday afternoon by the pool with a good book
- Happiness is a dog licking your face
- Happiness is my granddaughters laughter
- Happiness is a bike ride along my favorite trail
- Happiness is an evening run in the rain
- Happiness is a good book
Remember, comments must be posted by 11:59 P.M. U.S. CST on September 7th 2010
Congratulations to Vasantha and Kim for winning copies of this great little book!
So to recap, just leave a comment finishing the sentence: Happiness is…
Oh, and commenting more than once won’t increase you chances to win, but feel free to make your comment as long as you like!