Undeniable Happiness

All too frequently people dwell on the past and stress about the future to the point that the present is neglected. People live in yesteryear, ‘the good ole days.’ Habitual reminiscing can stress a person causing unhappiness with life at present.

Everyone wants to find some form of happiness in life but finding real happiness calls for a realistic look at present life. People search for happiness in many ways and some try to find it in unusual ways like thrill seeking adventures. Undeniably ‘letting down your hair’ in recreation can bring benefits especially after a long week of hard work. Although amazingly some are finding that some recreational choices may not necessarily bring the happiness being sought. As a matter of fact, some “fun” can leave the seeker feeling thoroughly unfulfilled and more depressed than happy. Why?

Because people sometimes look to recreation to fill various voids in life, there is enormous room for disappointment when it does not. Higher expectations bring greater disappointment. This is not limited to the everyday worker. It can be seen and said about some very famous people who seemed to have it all but their actions suggest they lack a major component in their lives; happiness. Does fame and fortune really bring true happiness?

Sadly, it can be said that fortune and fame does not always bring the happiness sought after. Many people who have achieved fame and fortune have also found that it was not all it was cracked up to be and did not bring the fulfillment they thought it would bring. As evidenced in various media source stories written about this or that iconic person and their troubled life. It is easy to deduce that there seems something is missing so many celebrities are seeking to find it in a variety of activities.

Recently, we had Amy Winehouse, though famous and rich, for several years felt a need to be engrossed in drugs and alcohol. She performed under the influence and forgot the words. Whitney Houston, a musical icon and talented actress both famous and super wealthy but also had a deep need to engage in drugs and does not sound the same today. John Belushi, David Bowie, Natalie Cole, Steven Tyler, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and a host of other famous people have found their way to this or that drug in search of either escape or happiness. I suspect it was mostly for happiness.

Maybe in the beginning of their careers they were all too busy earning said fame and nobility to worry about the toll it may take on their lives and their happiness in them. Prestige can suddenly disorient a person’s thought and wreak havoc on a person’s life without warning leaving them feeling they lack real purpose.

Sadly enough, there are so many who relish the accomplishments of these brilliant people. Personal success is apparently associated with happiness and true confidence only if it promotes a feeling of purpose and worth.

Let’s face it; the feelings created by happiness are often the result of positive actions from individual accomplishments and usually other peoples noticing them though it more personal than a lot of people realize. This innate need to be recognized, complimented and accepted by others is human nature. Appreciation tends to bring deep joy and that is a feeling worth savoring for the reason that it is euphoric. Recognition for whatever reasons can cause a feeling of happiness and happiness is truly a powerful feeling as strong as love. Love makes happiness flourish and increases others ability to love and be loved in return. There is something to be said about loving others, not just romantically but sociably like children.

“To transcend one’s own self-centeredness is not a virtue; it is a saving necessity.” –Karl Menninger, Psychiatrist

It is amazing what we can learn from children simply watching how they play. For the most part, children enjoy playing with other children. Doing so teaches many social skills. They learn things like sharing and unselfishness. They build friendships. They love most everybody. Most importantly, by watching how they interact adults can learn the value of camaraderie, neighborly love and selflessness and study how love seems to bring purpose and meaning to their playground relationships and compare how it can bring the same to an adult life that seems to have none.

We need to be aware of ourselves and of other people. It is the only way we can find happiness in the world we have to live in today!

**************PEACEFUL JOURNEY’S