Happiness is a part of us from birth, and as children, we can easily feel joy through our instincts.
Unfortunately, as we grow older, many people lose their sense of happiness.
Do you remember the joy a candy brought you as a child? Do you remember the delight when your parents allowed you to watch TV or play games?
However, can you still experience such levels of happiness every day?
Some might say that young people do not know the taste of sorrow, and that there are so many worries in life now. But at any age, it is possible to find your own joy and keep living, because happiness is an innate ability; you just need to know how to achieve it.
The first step in finding and enjoying happiness is understanding what happiness means.
What is happiness, exactly?
Happiness is an emotion “caused by pleasure, success, or good fortune” (Webster’s Dictionary). It is a feeling of “great joy or pleasure caused by something especially good or satisfying” (http://dictionary.com).
Other words that express happiness include bliss, jubilance, exultation, glee, and appreciation. You can recognize happiness through the physical sensations it evokes, such as exhilaration and an irresistible smile on your face. Happiness creates a positive excitement that invigorates and expands you.
Emotions are energy; their job is to capture your attention, making you aware of what is happening within you, prompting you to make decisions and driving your actions.
Feeling the thrill of joy is a sign that you are connecting with your true self.
That’s why happiness serves as a barometer for making decisions and setting goals.
To find your happiness, you must forget the opinions implanted in you about what you should want or love.
If you have been trying to please others for a long time or are overly concerned with others’ opinions, then let go of that pattern as soon as possible.
Your friends, parents, siblings, and colleagues all have their views on what should bring you happiness; ignore them.
What others say or think is far less important than how you feel about your own life.
You must forget the beliefs that limit your goals.
Believing in your ability to achieve has a tremendous impact on the goals you set, the paths you follow, and the achievements you reach.
By shedding those things that are no longer useful to you and consciously embracing those that invigorate you and expand your horizons, you can begin to build a life full of happiness.
The inspiration for happiness is very consistent throughout life. To discover what brings you joy as an adult, think about where you found happiness in childhood and adolescence, and start trying this timeline review exercise.
Take a clean sheet of paper (or a blank Word document, etc.) and place it horizontally.
Divide the page into columns by decade. For example, a 55-year-old would divide their page into six columns: ages 0-9, 10-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, and 50-55. Our goal is to recall the happiest moments in your life over a ten-year span.
In each column, write down the things that brought you joy during the decade of your life: activities, people, trips, experiences, etc.
Take some time to list as many as possible. Identify the sources of your happiness. For example, if you consider “college” to be a joyful experience, think about what you particularly enjoyed about it. Was it spending time with friends every day? Or the sense of accomplishment from completing a paper? Or the excitement of your first love?
