Recognize Happiness, Don’t Buy It
Many people today can’t help but feel something is missing from their life, or they, in some way, feel unfulfilled. The social and emotional wellness world has expanded and gained popularity over the past decade. It’s rare you know someone who hasn’t listened to a podcast or watched a few YouTube videos centered around emotional well-being. Even " happy " people can’t help but try to squeeze a little more of that feel-good emotion out of life. Whether actively looking or not, as we navigate through life, it’s always a joy to find another piece of the puzzle, that is “self.”
As with diet and exercise, there is no shortage of gurus, ideologies, or dogmas to follow concerning emotional well-being. There’s always some guy or gal on stage presenting happiness as a product. Spend a little bit of money on a book or a couple of hundred dollars on a presentation, and you too can be happy!
Now, that’s not to say there isn’t some fruitful information out there. Some folks certainly present actionable measures people can take to improve their lives. I’m not suggesting you entirely disregard the mainstream. However, be wary of latching onto a method so linear you miss other approaches. For example, words of affirmation are often pushed. As if placing several uplifting sticky notes on the side of your mirror will give you an extra bump towards a positive attitude. That doesn’t seem to work out for most people; at least, that’s what I’ve noticed. Simply saying I am happy or special… (insert uplifting attribute) is not enough. Manifesting often falls short; however, recognizing the good things that come your way more often results in emotional wellness.
Don’t let outside influences pressure you into believing you must always be the happiest person on the planet. We’re human beings, and life has its ups and down. Happiness is an emotion, not a lifestyle. Anger, frustration, and sometimes envy will express themselves within you. Those will never go away, and believing they would is unrealistic. When those negative emotions rear their ugly heads, adapt and shift your thinking more positively; this is accomplished through self-awareness and recognition. You recognize that even at the end of a bad day, there are reasons to be grateful.
Happiness is different for everyone; a person’s emotional well-being can’t be charted or plotted on a line. It’s up to the individual to know how they feel and where they sit on the pendulum. Similarly, you don’t know when happiness may strike you. For some (myself included), happiness found me far away from a cubicle, alone in nature for an extended period of time. For others, it was the birth of their child or successfully creating their dream business. It’s more about self-awareness than it is creativity or intention. It’s simplistic to pause and enjoy a positive moment, but intentionally creating one can leave you bust if expectations are not met.
Try this; the next time you feel happy (the word “feel” is essential here), relish it. Ask yourself a few questions, who are you with? What are you doing? If you’re smiling and feel those wonderful endorphins, take a mental note and have the awareness to recognize the feeling. If you’re waiting to win the lottery to have that feeling, you’ll wait a long time, but if you realize how good it feels when you’re drinking your coffee in the morning sun, you’re on the right track.
I’m saying recognize a good thing when it comes your way through reflection and purposeful awareness. Be grateful for those moments and keep them in your life by whatever means most appropriate. This is probably the most simplistic way to achieve happiness and continued well-being. Appreciating the wonderful things and people that come our way should be the goal. Recognize happiness, don’t buy it.