Everyone is looking for happiness.

Welcome back to my pages, I look forward today to helping you along our journey together. Today we’ll take a look at what it means to be happy. Whilst you read this, take time to think about your own life and how you can relate to this. I would be very happy to receive any emails about what makes you happy, or please write your comments below.

We are socialised to believe that the person with the most material possessions or highest community status is the most successful. We are taught to be “destination seekers”, defining success in terms of events that will occur or tangibles that we be acquired sometime in the future. We believe that when that which we strive for is accomplished, we will have arrived at the destination called “success”, which we hope will bring us happiness.

Everyone is looking for happiness, but happiness is not a goal or destination. It is a state of being.

Imagine spending most of your life and / or career working very hard to climb the ladder of success, and suddenly when you reach the top you realise that your ladder is leaning against the wrong wall. And then you wonder : “Is this it?”

So why does this happen?

One possible answer is that you focused on something that doesn’t truly bring you joy and fulfilment. You thought you’d be happy when you achieved a certain goal, however, you were mistaken about how you would feel when you arrived. Achievements and acquisitions are common and excellent by-products of true success. However, being happy is not becoming rich, knowing the right people, being perfect, falling in love, or succeeding in your job. Happiness is a state you have to acquire first, if you intend to have fulfilling, harmonious and lasting relationships and success.

Your own happiness will always reflect your life, and that includes your relationships.

When you are naturally and truly happy with yourself you will attract success more easily in both your business and personal life. It is one of life’s irrefutable facts that when you are not truly happy in yourself then no-one, absolutely no-one, can give you happiness.

We’ll continue looking at this subject of being happy on Monday. For the moment, have a think about what unrealistic expectations you might have of yourself and others in pursuit of happiness.

Best wishes,

Tumi