happiness

such an elusive concept. a thought that often accompanies me. really and truly, the ultimate quest for most people. there is a deep-seated desire in all of us to attain true happiness and many feel they are far from it or have never felt it. that has always saddened me.

so if this is the one pure desire of human nature, how do we achieve it? what is the formula? is there one? not shocking, but i have some theories on the matter...

what comes to mind when i think about happiness is, first of all, that we are meant to be happy. Yet, we pursue this happiness in the wrong way. we look for things, items, people, to fill the space in our souls where happiness and joy are to reside. we keep thinking that if we learn a new skill, conquer a fear, purchase something, or find that perfect person, we will finally attain this euphoria we so desperately seek. this is our mistake.

as simple as it may sound, happiness and joy must come from within, not without. i know i am not the first to come up with this brilliant idea, but i stand firmly behind it.

i also love what gandhi had to say: "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." so much unhappiness stems from not being true to who we are; by continually believing that if we can be the persona most of us create for ourselves, then, only then, will we truly be content.

it's not possible.

to be content, to be happy, we need to be true to who we really are. this is no easy task, since we may not like who we are, or wish we were someone else, regardless, i believe we are genuinely happy when we are at peace with ourselves. if we wish to be someone else, to lose those faulty qualities we have, then we need to actually make those changes, so we can become that new person. only then will we attain inner peace and be happy.

this is a life long process and pursuit. it has to be. i believe we constantly grow, change, and evolve so as to always have to reassess who we are, and live accordingly. life is just awesome that way.