The possibility of finding true happiness is a popular ongoing conversation nowadays. Everywhere you turn, happiness experts are springing up and rightly so. We live in a challenging world, and embracing the science behind true happiness can help us live a more optimized life. Of course there are circumstances outside of our control. But what about the things that we can control. Sometimes shifting our mental energy from that which is out of our control to that which is can be a total game changer in the happiness department. 

But can you YOU really find true happiness!

The short answer is yes! True happiness is most definitely attainable, for you and for me.

There are those who have legitimate struggles in life who often pooh-pooh happiness and claim that true happiness is not even an option.  The truth is there are different levels of happiness that you can experience in your life. It’s not a straight line. There are ups and downs that you will experience all throughout life but whether you are happy or not is all about your response. 

As you probe the true happiness question, think on these things:

You Have It in You

Just by virtue of the fact that you’re a human being and you can experience feelings, happiness being one of them, you know that true happiness does really exist. If you stop to think aboutt it you can probably write down many days and events that have brought utter bliss to your life over the years. 

Look Around You

Most people think that it’s impossible to truly be happy without having your  basic needs met. Stop for a moment and look all around you. You’ll find that there are people all around you who do not have all of their needs met but who are somehow still very happy. People are happy for all different reasons. There’s really no one size fits all formula.

It’s Not Always About Stuff

This is a common misconception. We tend to think the people who have the most stuff, or are the richest are the happiest. If you look at a list of the happiest countries in the world, you will realize that being happy isn’t about the stuff you have. The happiest people in the world right now happen to live in Denmark. Oprah Winfrey once did a show where she visited and interviewed the people of Denmark. Most people who live there pay high taxes, live in small homes and tend to not be as consumer-driven as people in the USA, for example. By the way,  the USA is #17 on the list. That is a clear indication that happiness is not always about more stuff. 

It’s Not Even Always About Goal Crushing

You may think that happiness is about reaching your goals too. But, it’s not. If you often say things like “I’ll be happy when…” then it’s not likely you will ever be happy. You can choose to be happy today, before you reach your goals, that is, while you’re on the path to reach those goals. It’s honestly more about the day to day journey of life and not just isolated moments.

It’s Not Always About Your Circumstances

Now, of course, there are some things in life can really get you down. However, for happy people, even the worst events will not create permanent misery. A happy person usually has acquired the life skills to navigate through those tough circumstances. Dr. Gillian Mandich, a well known happiness expert, states that our actual circumstances account for only about 10 percent of our happiness. I find that particularly shocking. Ten percent y’all. This gives us a lot of room for creating some serious happiness.

True happiness is more about realizing that you can actually attain it, and getting a real understanding what it means. Even, a happy person isn’t going to maintain the same level of happiness 24/7, 365 days a year. But when you discover that someone who may be terminally can still be happy, that children who aren’t getting enough to eat can still be happy, and people living in poverty throughout the world are also happy you begin to realize that you too can be happy too. I you choose too.

Be well + prosper,

Elaine