Do you ever wonder what true happiness is? Is it a generalisation of our lives or a fleeting emotion
in our lives in any given moment? I was boarding a plane recently and was
watching a child. The joy and happiness
she was displaying was infectious and yet Less than 30 minutes later she was so
distraught it made your heart break for both herself and her parents. Did this
mean this child no longer had happiness in her life or was this just a moment?
Shortly afterwards I saw a post from a friend on Facebook shouting to the world
how content and happy she was with her life. A week later her life had crumbled
around her. In a matter of days, her world had changed. Did this mean she would
no longer experience happiness in her life or was this to just a moment,
however long that moment lasts? Whatever had changed in her world was this
going to determine her future happiness?
Maybe, but Happiness was there once
and would absolutely return if she was open to new possibilities. I look around
and see people who have so much wealth and opportunity but how much happiness do they experience?
So what is happiness
and is it real? For me, I define happiness as moments in my day, week or
even months. It is an emotion that I welcome and can flit in and out at any
given moment. I can be down one minute and then do something simple like go for
a walk on my property and come back so grateful for that experience. Simple
things like watching the dog fall into the dam, giving the horses next door a
cuddle, watching ducks with their babies or feeling the sunlight on my face all
give me happiness. Had anything
changed in my immediate world? No, my problems and worries were still there but
for just that moment, I experienced happiness.
It is so important to create these moments in our days otherwise we lose faith
that our lives will get better. Faith is the belief beyond all doubt that
things will change. When we bury ourselves in negativity then we develop a negative
thought pattern and it becomes more and more difficult to recognise and be
grateful for those moments.
I have a sign above my door to my office that reminds me “happiness is a decision”. It is our experiences
that create happiness. It is
important to acknowledge the little things that bring a smile or laughter to our
world because it is all too easy to wallow in our reality and for some their reality
can be painful. Whether you have a bad relationship, financial struggle or hate
your job, you can still experience happiness.
I promise you, if you acknowledge those moments when they happen, your overall
outlook on life will improve and you will make a conscious effort to create
more.
“Happiness is not
just wishful thinking but rather a moment to be experienced“
