Genuine Happiness Comes from Within

Having looked at how we see the world and also the difference a positive attitude can make it is now time to look at where the real problem lies and believe me this is the hard part.

Life isn’t the sweetest candy. Sometimes, when I feel like the world is just too heavy, I look around and find people who continued to live fascinating and wonderful lives and then thoughts come popping into my mind like bubbles from nowhere –

“How did their life become so adorably sweet?
How come they still can manage to laugh and play around despite a busy stressful life?” Then I pause and think for awhile… How many times, and how many people, over the years have told me that I have to start with ‘self’. Perhaps that was where these people had started to work and I decided then and there to do the same.

So, how does one become genuinely happy?

Step 1 is to love yourself.

A very wise teacher once said to me that "loving means accepting. To love oneself means to accept that you are not a perfect being, but behind the imperfections must lie a great deal of courage to be able to discover ways on how to improve our repertoire and to recover from our mistakes. "

Genuine happiness also pertains to contentment. When you are contented with the job you have, the way you look, with your family, your friends, the place you live in, your car, and all the things you now have – truly, you know the answer to the question “how to be genuinely happy.”

I believe that life is about finding out about right and wrong, trying and failing, winning and losing. These are things that happen as often as you inhale and exhale. So can we be genuinely happy in spite all these? Of course, and it is often in the little simple pleasures that we find the greatest happiness, such as every time you exert effort to improve the quality of your life and your being, whether it is cleaning up your room, helping a friend, taking care of your beautiful pets or playing with your children. How do you feel after these simple and pleasurable activities?

Genuine happiness isn’t about driving the hottest Formula 1 car, nor getting the employee of the year award, earning the highest 13th month pay, or beating the sales quota. Sometimes, the most sought after prizes in life don’t go to the fastest, the strongest, the bravest or the best. So, how do you become genuinely happy? Every one has his own definition of ‘happiness’. Happiness for a writer may mean launching as much best selling books as possible. Happiness for a basketball rookie may mean getting the rookie of the year award. Happiness for a beggar may mean a lot of money. Happiness for a business man may mean success. So, really now, how do we become genuinely happy? Simple. You don’t have to have the best things in this world. Its about doing and making the best out of every single thing. When you find yourself smiling at your own mistake and telling your self “Oh, I’ll do better next time”, you carry with you a flame of strong will power to persevere that may spread out like a brush fire. You possess a willingness to stand up again and try – that will make you a genuinely happy person.

When you learn to accept yourself and your own faults unconditionally you can become genuinely happy”. Once you accept and love yourself for who you are you will radiate a happiness for all to see. It is important to realize that the only way to truly accept and love others unconditionally, for who they are, is to first accept and love yourself, for who you are.

The biggest and most beautiful thing in the world is love and the only way to love is unconditionally, accepting people for who they are. Love them for their quirky traits, their awful habits, their wonderful smile, their infectious laughter, every single part of each individual person is perfectly in harmony with this universe in which we live. That includes you. Without you, something is missing, just like a piece from a jigsaw, without which the final picture is not complete. So this universe without you is incomplete - that is how important and loved you are.

Look at yourself in the mirror – look deep into your eyes at the being within and feel the love rise from the depths of your soul – feel the love and be genuinely happy - self love is the key to love and genuine happiness.