I Choose Happiness

"There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do." - Freya Stark, explorer and travel writer

Happiness is elusive for so many of us. I always thought that happiness could be achieved once I had all of the following "things" - the big house, the expensive car, the handsome and rich man, the vacations to end all vacations. Well, that's quite a list of wishes to fulfill. I wasn't able to even begin to acquire these things because I wasn't looking in the right places. I was way off base.

I spent many years trying to get happiness from outside circumstances, people, and conditions. I never found it. I was miserable, unhappy, scared, and desperate.  I couldn't find it in possessions and I couldn't get it from other people. I had no idea what was wrong with me but I was sure that I was destined to be unhappy forever.

I'm grateful for many things in my life today, but I'm most grateful for those people who showed me how to be happy in my lifetime. They shared the secret with me - I would find my happiness by helping others. And they were so right! It's not all about me today. I was selfish and self-centered for most of my life. When I started to let go of my wants and started to truly care about others, I began to feel something I had never felt before. It's the sense of happiness I'd been searching for all of my life. Go figure!

All is well. I simply need to focus on helping others and the happiness seems to overflow within me. I don't always want to put myself out there and help others, but every time I do, I add to the happiness and contentment I feel inside. All is well with me and in my world. I agree with the above quote - I'll never find happiness if my beliefs don't match my actions. I'm so glad they do match for me today.