Happiness – a way of life or something missing
Posted on in Everyday Inspiration · 6 Comments
Are you a happy person? Do you really enjoy, appreciate and make the most of life so you are happy? When something goes wrong, how do you handle it? Do you let the situation dictate how you recover or do you handle the situation. How do you bounce back from adversity…these are all questions that came forward in a movie I recently saw called ‘Happy’. The movie talks about and tries to have us understand happiness.
I like how the movie started. It talked about how we have taken so much time to understand, assess and measure depression (which is important), but have we really taken the time to do the same with happiness? I guess we feel things are terribly wrong if we are not in a good space and we try to correct it…the key word is correct it. We don’t really spend the time to understand how things are before we need to correct it. Finally, people are taking time to understand the bigger picture on what it takes to be happy.
The research indicates that approximately 50% of your happiness comes from DNA and we are born with it, only 10% circumstances such as our work and life and the rest? Well, 40% is intentional and in your hands. It is about making sure to appreciate the little things in our life and looking at things with an open mind…outside of the routine. Sound familiar?…’The Extraordinary in the ordinary’. It is about incorporating flow into your life. Doing what you want to do and it does not feel like work or taxing on you…I think I have flow. We get bogged down and caught up in our daily activities that we forget to have fun. As we age, we sometimes feel that time is passing and the things we set out to do are slowly slipping away from our fingers…I don’t know, the older I get the more I am learning and finding things out and doing more…I want to guide this.
Understand that happy people do encounter adversity; however, it is about how you recover from adversity. Happy people seem to bounce back quicker by not letting the situation dictate how they will react. You have to switch your thinking from what you don’t have to what you do have…and it does not have to be much. I think it is more like having your life like concentrated orange juice which is very rich in flavor rather than the watered down kool aid.
What makes me happy? I thought about that while watching the movie. I guess I have it because of a few things that I do. For me it is about gratitude, being authentic, taking the time to talk to people, thankful for what I have, and knowing that I am on a journey. Happiness is about being present and helping others be happy. How about you? Are you happy? What makes you happy? If you are not happy, how can WE change that? If you are happy, what is it that puts a smile on your face? How can we make others happy because making other people happy will make us happy. I think we need to clap more often…if you are happy and you know it, clap your hands. Can I get a big round of applause from you all!…and keep smiling! Here is a Youtube to share. These two are happy people for sure! – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPqtCz5uWTs
6 Comments for "Happiness – a way of life or something missing"
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I think that many times we equate superficial things with happiness. Whether that includes money, prestige, position, etc. I know that I did for a time at least – as I think many of us do.
But what I’ve figured out in the last year, and what we’ve discussed, is your whole idea of “finding the extraordinary in the ordinary”. I’ve finally stopped moving so quickly with the world around me and let myself find happiness in walking around Granville Island on a sunny day, joking around with my family and friends, and just curling up with a good book on my reading chair.
I feel that if you can’t be happy doing those ordinary things in life, you’re going to find yourself hard pressed to lead an extraordinary life.
Thanks for teaching me that, Sam.
and you bring me happiness Connie. 🙂 I like your perspective and life journey to find happiness.
Hey Sam!
This is the first time a leave a comment even thought I have enjoyed many of your posts in the past. I believe I decided to do so because it resinated with me so much and I can relate to many of the concepts and ideas it contained.
The intention of my comment is to share my experience and beliefs about happiness. In the past, I had my fair share of gloomy and depressing days and those days suck big time. Such gloomy and depressing days lead me to even darker places. I personally believe that the key to happiness is to realize that happiness is a choice. It is up to me how I feel and when I feel it. What’s wrong in the world is always there. What bothers us is all around us. At the same time, what’s amazing about this world and those who are living in it is always there too. It is up to us to choose what we focus on. And if we focus on learning from any situation and/or anyone (no matter how unpleasant they might be), it is amazing the lessons we will be getting from this beautiful thing called life.
Thank you brother for sharing your deep and inspirational lessons. Keep them coming please!
Thank you for your thoughtful words. I write the way I feel and share what I hope provides inspiration. To know that someone like you appreciated the words makes it worth while.
I hope to catch up with you soon!
Regards brother
Sam
Awesome Sam, thanks!!! Also great youtube, put a big smile on my face!
Thank you Renate, appreciate your words and glad you have a big smile on your face…it makes me smile too 🙂