The hardest thing about finding happiness is that you can’t so to speak…. happiness is a by-product of living the right kind of life. Happiness is the result of living a life which is inline with your ideal self. So how do you know what your ideal self is? That question is not so easy to answer. But there is a way to get there!
Finding one’s ideal self must come from emotional maturity and most often through a life of finding out what happiness is NOT about. From my experience, a moral compass and “gut” leading me towards my ideal self, was the result of hard work and dedication. It took me years to get what I felt on the inside inline with what I was showing on the outside.
If you are truly in touch with your inner-self, emotionally mature, and know what you want in life; you have realized true inner-peace and happiness cannot be bought or sold.
This quote by Ghandi says it all:
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
-Ghandi
So how do we get all these things—thought, words, and action—in harmony with each other? The first step is learning what you truly want out of life and where you want to go. However, in order to determine this, you MUST know where you’re at! You cannot get somewhere if you don’t know where you’re coming from.
Getting thoughts, words, and actions into harmony can be a many step process. In order to have the correct happy thoughts, many times you must be performing actions based and inspired out of happiness. This may sound like a paradox, like how can I “act” happy if I’m not feeling happy?
A great quote (you’ll discover I love quotes… generally because I’m not the first person to ever come up with a great idea) by Francine Ward illustrates how action can have great effects, “You get self-esteem by doing Esteemable Acts.” That is so true… action, action, action.
Once we get action going in the right direction, our thoughts will improve. We’ll feel better about ourselves and thus start doing more action based out of happiness. It is definitely a process, but gets easier over time.
At times, the line between intentions and actions are blurred. Many people have the best of intentions, but their actions may not reflect that. Consequently they may be perceived differently by those around them then they perceive themselves. Part of feeling full of happiness and inner-peace, is a realistic view of oneself both internally and externally.
Many people don’t even know they’re not happy, so for them, finding happiness isn’t a problem. However, for the rest of us, we have that inner voice that speaks to us; telling us we’re missing something in life. You know the inner question… is this all there is?
Really think about when you’ve asked yourself the question “is this all there is?” Often it is after we’ve achieved something great or arrived at a place in our lives we were sure would bring us happiness. Yet we’re still missing something. No matter what much we want and achieve, we will always be left wanting more. It’s just the way it is. Get used to it.
So the key to finding happiness must be something that never runs out and is always overflowing. It must come from within us!! Think about it… what is the most unique thing in the world that no amount of money or professional achievement could possibly alter or anyone could ever take away? That’s right, you!!!
The biggest secret to happiness is you! So the question, how to find happiness? Has to do with finding yourself! You already have everything you need to become completely happy and satisfied with life. The elements of true happiness are inside you and forged from gratitude, love, and purpose. Uncovering each one of those is a process and something that can be achieved each and every day! It does take work, but the result is the most amazing thing you can ever experience; true inner-peace and joy with the world and your place in it.
To find out more on the process of gratitude, love, and purpose, sign up for my newsletter and download my free report How to Be Happy Now: Finding Happiness in Everyday Living