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Jul. 28th, 2014 at 12:32 PM
— Bryant McGill
People often say they just want peace and happiness. You hear it from people all the time, "I just want to be happy." But really, they don't want to be happy. It's a flat-out lie or a delusion. If they wanted happiness they would have it. The truth is, we have what we want already. I know you will be tempted to blame everything outside of yourself for your woes, but it just isn't true. Sure, it's true that there is ugliness "out there" but happiness is absolutely something inside of you. If you are waiting for things in your life to align themselves so you can be happy, then you are cruisin' for a bruisin'. Looking to the external for happiness is like a hardcore drug addiction; you are always looking for a fix to soothe your withdrawals of depression when things aren't going well. Look, if you aren't happy, it's because you simply don't want to be. The mentally ill and small children aside, you are responsible for your own happiness. Don't act pathetic, pitiful and helpless. You have choices even when you have limiting beliefs that you don't. How long are you going to keep waiting for happiness to come your way? I guess you're waiting for happiness to knock your door down and drag you out of your x-year-long streak of "bad luck". You may live in a harsh world at times, but you can have a beautiful inner-life, and a beautiful outer-life always begins with a beautiful inner-life.
Many have said that happiness is an inside job, but be sure to put some emphasis on the word "job." First, accept that you have responsibility in your own happiness. Stop blaming the world, your past, bad luck or other people. Accept the fact that you have some power and choices in your life. Then begin to use your power and choices. Happiness takes practice. It starts with deciding that such a thing even exists, or can exist for you. Then you have to decide that you should have some. Then you have to start looking for it. Chances are that you have opportunities for happiness right under your nose that you haven't even noticed. When we become open to happiness and more mindful, we begin to notice happiness in moments. Happiness is not a permanent state. Happiness is not a thing we achieve. We do not find the secret to happiness and then everything is just great. Happiness comes in moments between sad moments and everyday ordinary moments. Happiness is there for you to notice and reach for and touch. Empowerment is often little more than noticing what was once unnoticed and finding what was always there. If you want to be happy you must become a happiness seeker. You have to think about happiness, look for the happiness, seize the happiness and believe with all of your heart that you deserve happiness.
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If you liked this one, you might like some of the other posts under the 'happiness' tag and under the 'bryant mcgill' tag.
P.S. Here's another essay on the subject that you might perhaps like:
http://www.drmarlo.com/?page_id=160
Edited 2014-07-29 02:24 am (UTC)