Are you one of the many that’s in the pursuit of happiness? It seems so common for people to be waiting for this day to occur when they finally wake up and say, “I’ve reached happiness!” It’s almost as if we expect happiness to be a direct result of all the things that we achieve in life. Or sometimes, we think that we’ll find happiness in others. For example, some people think that falling in love will finally make them happy. But even then, are there not other moments when you’re happy? Is that not happiness itself, materialising in those very moments?

Happiness is a choice, not a result. Nothing will make you happy until you choose to be happy. No person will make you happy unless you decide to be happy. Your happiness will not come to you. It can only come from you.”Ralph Marston

Someone once said that you should never waste time trying to find happiness in different things, but you should simply be happy for no reason and then see how your life goes on! The idea of emotional suppression isn’t favourable, especially when the individual has automatic emotive responses to the things that occur in their life. However, we soon came to realise what this meant; happiness is, and will, always be a choice. As the quote above says, “Nothing will make you happy until you choose to be happy.” The very essence of happiness is being content with what you have at any given time. And this relates to gratitude; being thankful for what you have, and not focussing on what you do not have!

Let’s just put it in context. Imagine a girl named Lucy, who’s been looking forward to going on a holiday that she’d booked way in advance. Just before she finally leaves to go on holiday, she experiences some financial difficulties; namely debt. For this reason, she feels worried and stressed. Once she goes on holiday, she’s able to leave her worries behind. She’s sitting on the beach, without a care in the world, enjoying her cocktail whilst relaxing and having a laugh with her friend. At this very moment she feels so happy that there’s not much that could make her feel down.

If we look at the duality of this situation then we can see that the only thing that’s different here is her change in environment. However, her situation is still the same. The financial difficulties are still present in her life, but she doesn’t acknowledge them because she’s able to focus on what she has in that direct moment; warm weather, a nice drink and great company in an environment filled with good energy. When she goes back home, she will probably feel like she has to face reality again, but her reality is exactly how she perceives it to be; her holiday is also reality!

It’s so easy to look up to the things that we want, or look at the difficulties we have, but we should also make it a daily habit to be thankful for the things that we already have. And if you struggle to do this, then be thankful for the difficulties that you have escaped! The truth is that your life could be much worse! Some people have the habit of waiting for a bad moment, such as a fallout with someone that they felt they could trust, to finally show some gratitude for all the people that they have in their life, which they can trust. You don’t need to wait for these moments to occur. All you need to do is just open your eyes and look around you or even watch the news; there are so many reasons to be thankful – you can continually count your blessings.

When you’re broke and you suddenly get some money, you perceive it to be happiness, until of course you review another moment later when you’re anything but happy, such as an argument with a partner. What happened to happiness? Was it rented? Individuals need to be at a stage where they can see the good in everything and be thankful for the gifts that are present in their life. We believe this habit itself will encourage you to always make your primary choice, happiness!

Author: Vex King

I am the founder and owner of the Bon Vita lifestyle brand. I could give myself a title and call myself a lifestyle entrepreneur, personal mentor, writer, designer, innovator, CEO, or anything else I see as fitting. However no title can define me as an individual. I’m just an optimist, a visionary, a philanthropist and jack of many trades. I’m using my positive influence to redefine the creative industries using Good Vibes Only #GVO so that people can fulfil their dreams, purposefully, and enjoy The Good Life #TGL. My daily words of intent are to make people… Think, look & feel GOOD!

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