One of the things that many of us will search for throughout our lives is something called ‘real happiness‘ – but does this even exist at all? It seems that we spend so long trying to attain it, that many of us claim that it just isn’t possible – always ending up unhappy.
The problem for most of us is that we don’t truly understand what happiness is. There is also a difference between what might cause us happiness in the short term, such as eating nice food, and what might cause us happiness in the long term, such as keeping to a healthy diet and being happy with the way we look.
photo credit: h.koppdelaney
The truth is that many of us don’t plan for what kind of happiness is going to lead to our real happiness in the long term. We think it will be instant to achieve, when the truth is that it isn’t. This is why positive thinking is so important, as it teaches us that things are going the right way even though they might not feel like that 100% pf the time. And when you think positively about things in your life, it gives you a greater chance of having the guts to go for what you want, even if it’s scary and may cause us a short-term feeling of unhappiness or fear.
There is also disagreement as to what happiness means at all. Many of us believe that true happiness is perfect happiness – but there is no such thing! Nobody is happy from the moment they wake to the moment they fall asleep again. And that’s a good thing! After all, how would we appreciate the good moments if we didn’t also have them mixed in with the bad? Often, true happiness simply means recognising your life’s purpose and going for it. Ultimately you will be happier because of it.
Happiness also doesn’t come from material possessions. Sometimes we think we’ll be happy if we have the money to buy what we need – but again this is only a temporary happiness. They can help improve our life, but ultimately there are thousands of people who have achieved happiness without material possessions to help them do so.
So, next time you are upset and wondering whether real happiness is out of your reach, remember that it isn’t. All it means is recognising a long term purpose in your life and having the courage to know you won’t be happy 100% of the time.
