The Pursuit of
Happiness

The pursuit of happiness is one common goal to all human beings. Every time we have a dream, set a goal, pray or wish for something, the underlying emotion we are seeking is happiness. When we have an experience that causes pleasure or has meaning to us, we live a life of purpose and the positive feeling we experience is joy.

According to the dictionary, happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. One definition I found at a Princeton University website says that happiness is a state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.

I believe happiness can be compared to an elusive butterfly going from one flower to another in the garden of life. Let’s use this analogy and imagine a young child walking in the park on a sunny day.

The child sees a colorful butterfly and with eyes of wonder follows its flying pattern. Curiosity makes him want to get close, touch it and even hold it in his little hands.

The child walks with his arms stretched out towards the flower where the butterfly is resting on, but as soon as he gets within reach, the butterfly flies to another flower.

Determined, the child follows the butterfly to the next flower, and then the next, and the next... but no matter what, the butterfly always remains out of his reach.

As adults, happiness can seem like that butterfly, always a few steps away... over there... out of our reach. To some, it may become an obsession. They believe that
if only... this or that would happen they’d be truly happy. If only I had more money, a better job or my own business... if only I was in a great relationship, if my partner was more loving or my child was a better student... if only I could have a different car, live in a different home or travel to another city... then I’d be happy.

Even when we achieve one of our if only desires, the bliss will be temporary. We will sooner or later get accustomed to what we got, and start feeling unhappy because we don’t have –or we want- something else. This feeling gives birth to our next if only desire.

When we go through life feeling blue most of the time, we tend to believe that the external events or circumstances that we want to “happen” will give us the happiness we are seeking when they “happen.” However, we must realize that material possessions, circumstances and events will just bring short-term happiness. These “things” will never have a lasting effect in our life.

Just like the saying “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”, we’ll always be chasing happiness based on things out there, “on the other side of the fence.” Subsequently, our focus and perception are always based on outer events, which will harbor feelings of dissatisfaction, discouragement and unhappiness in our hearts and life experience as a whole.

Every human experience encompasses a mixture of pleasant and unpleasant circumstances. For this reason, we cannot rely on our experiences as our source of happiness unless we want to live in constant turmoil or experience the eroding ups and downs of an emotional roller coaster life-ride.

If what we want is true happiness we must become aware of the fact that living happy is a state of "being", an inner condition that can be adopted by all who truly desire it.

There is no gene that determines who’ll be happy and who won’t. We all are capable of becoming happy people and living happy lives IF we understand that happiness is never related to the world "out there", but to the world within.

The inner contentment that allows us to navigate through the ups and downs of life has its roots deep within our being. Thus, the only true source of happiness comes from finding and embracing who we are as a person, and from there we can live a life of purpose.

We must also find peace in every aspect of our life... the physical, the mental, the emotional and the spiritual.

Once we accept ourselves ‘as we are’, discover our purpose and find peace in all of these areas, we’ll get a sense of completion in life; and the result is a flowing state of happiness.

When we neglect any one of these areas, we’ll experience a sense of emptiness. We may not be able to identify this nagging feeling right away. It just feels like something is missing. If this happens, we will lack a solid foundation for building permanent happiness within. Like I mentioned above, many will try to fill this incompleteness by looking for outer solutions.

This is why the risk of falling into the “elusive butterfly” syndrome is quite common. We may get what we want and feel happy for awhile, only to discover later on that we’re feeling empty all over again. The feeling of frustration lingers and the cycle repeats itself once and again, unless we learn the secret to being happy despite life’s circumstances which starts with working on our inner self.

So... is happiness an elusive butterfly for you? If so, spend some time in quiet reflection. Ask yourself how you’re doing in regard to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of your being.

If you notice that you are neglecting one of these four important elements of who you are you’ll know why you are experiencing a sense of emptiness within. This is a good starting point that gives you direction to modify or improve your life.

The more you discover, embrace and accept your uniqueness and purpose, the more often you will experience the butterfly of happiness landing on your shoulder.

Keep on reading for some ideas to help you increase happiness in your life here...

Seven Tips to be Happier

... and while you are there, don't forget to share Your Own Personal Tips for a Happier Life!

"Are you one of the few who writes his own destiny? I hope so. I hope you will have the joy and thrill of waking up to a day you create the way you choose to create it. To me this is happiness... not wealth nor power nor fame but instead, the inner strength to say, 'I did it my way... and am glad for it.'" ~ Thomas D. Willhite

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