True Happiness – 3 Truths You May Have Forgotten
We all want to be happy and are constantly looking for things to make us happy. But what is true happiness? What if happiness wasn’t tied to the things you get and the circumstances you find yourself in? Let’s take a new perspective and try to figure out the meaning of true happiness.
For years I tried to be happy but nothing worked. No matter what I did and what I got, I could not be happy. There was always something missing. I was always looking for something more.
After struggling to find happiness for 20 years, I finally understood that the very act of trying to find happiness in material possessions is what is making me unhappy. Once I was able to let go of chasing material wealth, I was finally able to make room for real happiness to enter my life.
True happiness is not material in nature
True happiness is not found in economic or materialistic rewards. The means to be happy (the incentive to succeed in life) should not be materialistic in nature.
We are told that we need something to be successful (happy) and once we start chasing those goals we make ourselves unhappy in the process, because happiness is not, and never will be, the end result.
Happiness cannot be found outside of you, but on the inside, and it is the starting point rather than the result you wish to achieve.
On the other hand, real happiness should be one of your goals, if not your ultimate goal in life. Being happy will allow you to live your life to the fullest of its potential.
It's in your nature to be happy
Happiness is your natural state of being, but It’s hard to get in touch with this happiness inside of us. Your happiness gets buried under layers and layers of stress, anxiety or even depression.
All of the anxiety and unhappiness come down to what we have learned about life and happiness.
We are told by everybody (our parents, friends, teachers, and the mainstream media) what success in life is and what we should do to get it, but many of the things contradict the way we feel inside.
We have created a world, where we concentrate on things that we think will bring us happiness, but instead often cause sadness, anxiety, frustration and depression.
We have lost touch with our inner selves, our “true” selves. The true nature of a human being is that of love, joy and compassion.
We do not learn how to control or express our emotions healthily, rather we are told to hide them and repress them.
Don't repress - express
This holds with happiness or joy as well. How often, when you feel joy, does your logical mind interrupt and start holding you back from expressing that joy? You hear a good song and feel like dancing, but your mind stops you because “you would look silly if you danced right now”.
Or you get excited about something and want to laugh and smile, but your mind sabotages your joy by telling you that “nothing ever works out for you, get back to being stressed out”?
Emotions are meant to be expressed, to be felt fully. All of them. The positive and the negative. But we have learned to repress all of them in favor of our analytical minds. No wonder we are not happy because we have learned to hide everything that comes naturally to us.
Learn to embrace and express your emotions. That is a giant leap toward true happiness in life.
The trap of trying to buy happiness
But what about the circumstances in our life? We often think that we lack the means to be happy.
There’s just not enough money to do the things we want, let alone have the lifestyle we dream of. How could we achieve happiness with everything in our life stopping us from enjoying our days to the fullest?
Take a moment to answer this question:
What is the one thing, the most crucial thing, that’s missing in your life that prevents you from being happy?
Do you lack the money to do what you would like let alone pay the bills? Are you looking for that special someone but love just keeps eluding you? Do you have a crappy job or the walls of your house are crumbling apart? Do you need a new car?
If only that one thing was in order, then you would finally be happy?
Whatever you think you’re missing, that’s just the point: You think that you need to get something to be happy; that your happiness is dependent on the circumstances around you that are beyond your control.
Now don’t worry. Most of us fall into the same trap, myself included. How could we not? After all, that’s how we are brought up, at least in the so-called western world.
Happiness, for us, lies at the end of a long and rocky road of doing something to get something.
Consequently, happiness is always just one or two steps away.
What is true happiness
There’s always something more you need to finally be happy. Hopefully, you understand that true happiness can never be reached this way. If you think that happiness comes to you through material wealth, you will find out that there is always just one more thing missing that you would need to be happy.
We repress emotions that arise naturally from inside of us and then try to make ourselves feel those emotions by chasing experiences and material wealth that is found outside of us in the surrounding world.
Does this sound like a good way to experience happiness? No wonder we get confused, anxious and depressed in the process.
But if happiness does not come from getting something, what is real happiness? Here are the 3 forgotten truths about true happiness.
Truth #1: We are constantly making ourselves unhappy
When we grow up, we are taught that there are things that we must do in life that will allow us to be happy. Happiness lies at the end of a long and rocky road of doing something to get something. Consequently, happiness is always just one or two steps away.
“If I can just get more money, love, friends, free time, vacations, (you name it), then I will finally be happy.”
That is what we have come to believe. But let’s assume you get that thing you are after. What then? Will you be happy, or will you just want something more? Just one more thing, after that it’s happiness all the way.
And then one more thing… and one more.. and one more…
Of course, happiness is never found by getting something. Chasing happiness by doing things will only make us unhappy since it disconnects us from the happiness that we could already feel if we just stopped and enjoyed the moment.
Stop trying to find happiness in economic or materialistic rewards. Turn inwards to find the happiness inside of you.
Truth #2: True happiness comes from the inside
If true happiness does not come from getting something, what is it then? Well, here’s the meaning of true happiness: It is your natural state of being. You are naturally happy, but the thought of needing something to be happy is what makes you unhappy.
Happiness lies at the core of your being, but it is buried under layers of stress, fear, anxiety, worry or even depression.
The secret of happiness is learning to peel back these layers of negative feelings and reveal the happiness that you feel naturally.
This truth about happiness is found in the moments when you feel truly happy. For example the birth of a child. Getting married. Doing something you love.
These moments make you forget about everything else. You are not anxious about the future or depressed about the past. You are truly “in the moment”, in touch with your inner self, the version of you that needs nothing to be happy.
It’s not the moment itself that makes you happy but it allows you to feel the happiness you already have inside by lifting the veil of stress, anxiety and depression.
Truth #3: Happiness is a choice
With the two previous truths in mind, happiness comes down to whether you choose it or not.
What differentiates true happiness from what we think is happiness, is our ability to choose our thoughts, feelings and behavior in any given situation.
Do you choose to be put down by what others say and do, or do you choose to be at peace, knowing that you are perfect just the way you are?
Do you choose to see the events in your life as struggles, or opportunities to grow into the greatest vision you have about yourself?
What do you choose?
There are no good things or bad things, only the way we choose to label each situation we are in.
Just as we have learned to do things and think thoughts that make us unhappy, like trying to get happiness by chasing material wealth, we can learn to think, say and do things that uncover our natural happiness too.
So the only difference between true happiness and unhappiness is which one we choose.
The meaning of true happiness - Download a free guidebook
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This book details the mindset and methods you need to start living your best, happiest, life.
Conclusion
True happiness is not found in economic or materialistic rewards. The means to be happy (the incentive to succeed in life) should not be materialistic in nature.
Learn to embrace and express your emotions. That is a giant leap toward true happiness in life.
3 truths about happiness:
- Truth 1: We are constantly making ourselves unhappy. Chasing happiness by doing things will only make us unhappy since it disconnects us from the happiness that is already inside of us.
Truth 2: True happiness comes from the inside. You are naturally happy, but the thought of needing something to be happy is what makes you unhappy.
Truth 3: Happiness is a choice. True happiness comes down to whether we choose it or not.
Disclaimer
The entire contents of this blog are based upon the opinions of the author. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The information in this blog is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care professional before trying any of the products or methods based on this content. I cannot guarantee that you will be free of stress, anxiety or depression, or that you will be happy. I simply want to share with you what I have discovered during my twenty years of seeking happiness and what has worked for me may not work for you.
