A Picture Of Happiness

As you travel about the streets of your town, would the average passer by’s first impression be that you are “A Picture of Happiness”?

I sincerely hope that they do, because how you carry and then present yourself to the world really amounts to nothing more that your own outward projection of how you actually feel about yourself on the inside. When was the last time that you took the opportunity to examine your attitude about “self”?

Are you happy with the person that you have become over time? Are you truly happy with your life? What about your career? Undoubtedly, your life is not perfect. Take heart… no one else’s is either. Everything doesn’t have to be picture perfect in your life in order for you to be happy.

Having and living a happy life is entirely about being comfortable in your own skin and allowing yourself to simply be “free to be me”. When you view yourself and your life from this perspective, it shouldn’t be hard at all to be happy.

Sadly however, research indicates that 2 out of every 3 American’s are not happy with the very lives that they were free to create for themselves. When you stop and consider that the divorce rate is nearly 50% and is according to experts rising, clearly there are a lot of unhappy people across the breadth of the U.S as well as globally.

So, here are some thoughts and tips that can help you and those whom you meet along the road of life to live a bit happier:

Decide To Be Happy Again. Struggle, adversity and tragedy are a fact and a part of life. As Robert Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral has said for many years “Bad things happen to good people.” Just because you’ve experienced some bad things in your life… It doesn’t make you a bad person. You deserve to be happy, so choose to be happy starting today.

Appreciate What You Do Have. So many people spend their lives focusing on what they don’t have and much like the old analogy, they trip over dollars to pick up pennies, instead of learning to appreciate what they already have. In the end life isn’t about having everything, rather it’s learning to make the best of everything.

Live Your Dream. There is many a story book or movie that begins “Once upon a time…” and ends with “And they lived happily ever after.” You have the capacity to imagine, to dream and then create the life that you want to live. The trick is to learn how to be happy in the here and now, in order to be able to live happy in the ever after.

Be Happy On Your Own. It’s not the responsibility of other people to make you happy, nor you them. Rather it’s your responsibility to make yourself happy. After all, you’re the only one that actually knows what you want. When you learn how to be happy on your own, you’ll be far more prepared to be happy when the opportunity finally comes to share your life with that special someone.

Have Respect For Yourself. As your mom told you time and again when you were growing up, you have to give respect in order to get respect. Part of living a happy life is based in the beliefs and values that you hold, along with your ability to set appropriate boundaries for yourself and the others who you choose to make part of your life. Have enough respect for yourself to turn and walk away from anything or anyone that isn’t serving you well, growing you forward or contributing to your wholeness, health and happiness.

Lastly, take a moment to think back to a time when an attractive woman or a handsome man entered the room where you happened to be. Now think about what it was that you noticed about them. While it may have been their outward attractiveness and attire that first got your attention, what you actually observed was the radiance of their outward projection of their inner beauty, self-confidence and happiness with self.

I read somewhere that people are prettiest when they’re “happy”… and I would agree. A perky happy attitude and a cheerful smile are far more beautiful than anything you can buy at the cosmetic counter.

Copyright © 2013 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.