Happiness is a Choice. And This Might Help.
Happiness is not the fleeting pleasure of fatty food, blissful sex, or the rush of excitement from buying a new car.
These things are not happiness. They are pleasure. They last for a minute or two and then disappear into the ether, only making us crave them more. They play a trick on us, saying “Hey if you get me, you’ll be happy!”. Then we get there, eat the food, buy the yacht, do the thing, achieve the goal, and we aren’t happy. We then think “ I just have to do it again, but more. Maybe I’ll get a bigger yacht. Or buy a more expensive steak. Or have sex with a hotter partner. Or maybe three partners at once. Yeah, if I just do that thing again, but more, I’ll be happy!”
Then we do it again. And we aren’t happy. And the cycle continues. And that’s how people go their entire lives chasing the carrot dangling in front of their stick. But here’s the thing about happiness.
Happiness doesn’t come from solving all the problems in your life. It doesn’t come from having more money, or more friends, or better sex.
Happiness comes from dissolving the very notion of problems. Happiness comes from the lack of desiring anything else. Happiness doesn’t come from having more, but rather, needing less.
And when we realize that true happiness can only be experienced in the present, in the here and now from not wanting things to be any different than they are, then we realize the Truth of Happiness.
Happiness is Peace.
Okay, so what do we do to Achieve this Peace? How does one acquire peace. Well, I don’t think peace is something that we can grasp in our hands. It’s not some goal to be reached or thing to have. In fact, peace already exists. It’s all around us, and we just need to tap into it. Peace just is.
And here are my rules for a more peaceful, happier life.
- Daily Physical Exercise
- Proper Nutrition
- Spend Time in Nature
- Intentional Stilness
- Be Social
- Recognize Beauty in Simplicity
- Look for Lessons
- Be Grateful for Everything
And I have one overarching principle:
Move from the heart, from a place of love, not fear.
I’ll dive into each of these topics in future installments of this series, Happiness is a Choice, but for now, those are my 8 rules for a happier life. Thank you for reading. I love you. Take care.
Stay Curious :)
