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To be happy is a universal desire. However a common obstacle to achieving a state of happiness is defining happiness as a pursuit. We imagine we may find it in a new relationship, a new car, a better job or by winning Tatts Lotto. We constantly make the “if only” assumptions in our mind. If only I was more successful, if only I was better looking, if only I had a better partner etc I would be happier.
And yet we often see people who seem to have it all, blessed with dream like circumstances but still unable find an enduring state of happiness. And there are others who struggle and find themselves in difficult circumstances who nonetheless are genuinely happy.
Thus it’s evident that happiness is not dependent on external circumstances. Happiness has everything to do with internal choices.
Our sages in ‘Ethics of our Fathers’ clearly teach “Who is rich? He who is happy with what he has.”
Events in life are neutral. Our choice of how we interpret these events will determine our emotional states.
Happiness begins with truly appreciating what we already have. This does not mean that negative circumstances do not exist. It means that by counting our blessings, we are able to put the negative events of life into perspective, where they no longer seem so great and overwhelming.
Happiness isn’t a happening. It’s a choice one makes in the here and the now.