Day Sixteen ... Happy Now

I saw this quote by Dennis Waitley yesterday and it really got through to me.

That's just it - you can't drive it, you can't wear it, you can't live in it, you can't drink it, smoke it, snort it, you can't travel to it. Happiness is the experience of the journey. The experience of happiness is the result of how you look at things. When I look at something I say, can do, no problem; that's not going to make me unhappy. Happiness is a choice!

It reminded me I used to believe happiness was a point I would reach, sort of like the finish line of a 5K run. There would be a lot of hard work, sweat and a fair amount of pain to earn it (no pain, no gain...) and reach happiness. Or that it was the inevitable result of getting something I wanted and had to save long and hard for. Or it was doing something in particular, like going on vacation. The phrase "I'll be happy when ..." started many wistful thoughts.

I see now that I was postponing being happy. It was an affirmation that would continually keep happiness just in the future, always in the future. Because when I got to that finish line my sights were already on the next thing, trip, achievement, and once again I was thinking "I'll be happy when ..." having already forgotten I was supposed to be happy now.

That was a time when I did not realize it is my choice. Happiness is inside of me and I carry it with me wherever I go, in my very own hands.

Happily,

Nicola Byrne

Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys.  If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it.

--Fyodor Dostoevsky