Happiness. It’s an over used term that can seem foreign or even unattainable. Some believe money or things will create happiness only to come to find out it doesn’t. Others maintain that happiness is a state of mind they are undeserving. How happiness happens is a process, consists of certain ingredients and is a mindset worth pursuing. It will rock your world.
Shiny Happy People
To be happy, you certainly do not need to be this blinding radiance of 24-7 smiling emoji. I recently read, How Happiness Happens by Max Lucado. It was like watching the Food Network with an Iron Chef demonstrating how to make a delicious cake. What was important with the final product? The ingredients. Just like a cake, there’s a print out and ingredients required. I was dumbfounded how well written and relatable he made a word become that is often tossed around without connecting the true meaning.
Webster’s Dictionary defines happiness as a state of well-being or contentment. They also slide in the word joy. Three big words that many simply disconnect with. Each of us deserve to be happy. I hope you know that. God loves you. Like a bazillion times over. Connect this with the fact that there is only one you on a planet of 7.7 billion+ people and we begin to get the happy concept slowly rolling. So what are these Food Network worthy ingredients we speak of?
How exactly does Happiness happen?
Whether it’s spreading ourselves too thin with work, having unrealistic expectations of ourselves or not believing we deserve to be happy – there’s a devastating shortage of happiness. The pursuit of being happy requires a game plan. Seriously. If you’re quickly grabbing your ingredients for a cake without taking time to look at the recipe you’re bound to forget something. The cake will not taste or even possibly look as it was intended.
Key ingredients in the Happiness Factor:
- Serve others.Did you know that it’s scientifically proven that when we serve others it will trigger dopamine in our brain? It feels good. It removes focus on ourselves and our eyes shift to someone else. Our innate nature is selfish. Plain and simple. The ability to serve, in some capacity, is within each of us. Get creative. Whether five hours a month is spent at a shelter, helping a neighbor rake leaves or making a meal for a friend who is struggling; to serve is to realize what it is to really live.
- Encourage one another. It is easy to be negative, to cast comment about the lack of something in someone or to gripe. Focus intently on encouragement. Encourage with words, a smile or eye contact. Let your spouse, friend, co-worker or sibling know that you value them. Your words go far. When we get our head in the encouragement zone it does wildly awesome things for our mindset and outlook.
We call it glistening..
In my mind I don’t really consider that I’ve worked out until I’ve broke a sweat. It sounds a little more glamorous to say we glisten. Often in life, we tear ourselves up with trivial worry that only intensifies with time and contemplation. One of my favorite quotes in Lucado’s book was, “strive to not sweat the small stuff & you won’t sweat much at all.” How true is this? Massive! One key to making happiness happen? Put a red light to the sweaty, glistening unnecessary worry in things that are out of our hands and that which we are allowing to dictate our lives.
This happiness ingredient is BIG time. I struggle with it. But when we bust down these facets of our life that hinder us, that suck the life out of us our load is lightened. It places life into a clearer perspective.
Hello from the other side
Hi. Hola. Namaste. Shalom. No matter what dialect someone speaks there is a word for hello. The power to make someone feel acknowledged and connected to another human being is significant. Make up your own greeting if that makes you motivated, but greet other human beings, make eye contact, connect. This doesn’t mean you are throwing yourself out there to have sit down coffee conversation with people. It simply means allowing another human to feel like they exist.
Cool fact. Did you know that the more often people hug, the less likely they are to get sick? Hmmm… A hug may be too much for some, but find a medium that works for you. Make eye contact with that person you pass on the street and give a smile. Wave to that person you work with, but don’t actually know really well.
We have a heck of a lot of lonely people out there who do not feel as if they hold significance. Some go through their day with a sense that not one other human knows they exist. No one should feel this way. When we allow other humans to get a bigger sense of humanity, good things begin to take place.
Judge Free Zone
Every one of us have our own past and present. Most of the time we have no clue of what the person we pass in the hallway, at the store or in our classroom is facing. It’s easy to judge. Whether it’s someone attitude, the clothes they wear or how they speak. Pursue a judge free mentality. Be slow to speak. Be swift in how you hear. Hold your tongue when you are ready to say something about someone who isn’t there to defend themselves.
Looking to kick up making happiness happen? Fight like all get out to drop judgement and replace it with compassion. We are all a work in progress. When we step forward to begin the process of working our ourselves it takes time. It takes patience. But know that progress and goodness cannot begin until that first step is taken.
How Happiness Happens
So today is a new day. There will never be another today or you…ever. Kind of mind flipping to think about, huh? Desire true happiness? Begin to implement these steps into your everyday life. Write the list down. Place post it notes around your home or in your car. Be intentional.
Life is too short to refrain from allowing yourself the opportunity to know what it means to experience true happiness and joy. Contentment is a beautiful thing. Too many lack it. Are you ready to get your happiness vibe going?
Let me know what you think of the special ingredients listed above & your thoughts on happiness. Wishing you a day of tremendous peace, love and happiness.
