“Success is to laugh often
and much…to appreciate beauty…to
give of one’s self. To have played and
laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Good
morning!
Have you ever
noticed how elusive happiness can be?
When we chase it, it is like our shadow – it
cannot
be caught. We can’t
mix together a few
ingredients and instantly create happiness.
We can decide
that we won’t be
derailed by negativity – but that alone won’t create happiness.
As I have made
this journey of self-discovery with thousands
of women, I have found it interesting how many people want to chase
happiness
down. They don’t
realize that all the
elements of happiness are already here.
Looking for them somewhere else won’t bring
them any closer than they already
are. Trying to
accomplish lengthy to-do
lists and tasks before one feels happiness is a crazy expectation that
we put
on ourselves.
Why do we want
to complete those lengthy to-do lists,
anyway? Usually the
answer is so we can
have a more balanced, happier life.
How
ironic it is, then, to be a slave to these to-dos and schedules, to the
point
of giving up happiness today? Do
we
somehow honestly think that the happiness will be “better” later?
We need
happiness every day because that is what inspires and
motivates us in other areas of our lives.
We can’t work the equation backward, “Once I
accomplish this, this, and
this – then I’ll be happy and content.”
It doesn’t work that way.
Happiness has to be at our roots – at our core
– it isn’t something we
produce through accomplishment. When
we
put off realizing happiness, the harder it will be to find when it does
come
our way.
Simply put, many
of us have made happiness more complicated
than it needs to be. Ironically,
we have
added happiness to our list of things we need “to do.”
But this is life, and our to-do lists will be
ever-evolving, because we aren’t done until we are done living. So – do you want happiness
to be on your list
for another day? Or
do you want to grab
it now, and live it today? You won’t find happiness anywhere else
except right
here, and right now. Happiness
needs “the
moment” in order to live.
Your Turn: How have
you complicated happiness in your life?
What do you feel you have to “get done first?” What rules have you added
to this simple
equation? Happiness
only needs the
moment to live – that is its oxygen.
How
can you remove the barriers to happiness you have imposed and let it
grow in
your daily life?
Today’s Affirmation:
The only place where happiness exists is in
the moment. I
recognize and embrace the simple gift of
happiness that only requires that I be present to enjoy it.
And as always, don't forget
to
start your day with a heartfelt: "Something great is
going to
happen today... I can't wait to see what it is!"
And when ending
your day ask yourself: "What is one more thing I can do
to
make today matter?
