Find Happiness By Looking Inside

By Miami Phillips

"If I could only figure this out, I think I could find
happiness." That was the comment a close friend made during
a recent conversation. This is not the first time, nor will
it be the last that I hear this statement.

Many people believe that finding happiness is based on
finding something else they want. In my experience as a
personal coach, no one has ever found long term happiness
by achieving another goal. Ultimately, to find happiness is
to look within.

In other words, happiness is an inside job. The key to
finding happiness is to understand that happiness is a
choice and not the result. If happiness can be found as the
result of an acquisition, meeting a goal, or having
anything, then a person's happiness will always be subject
to something else.

An important and fundamental truth to remember is that one
definition of happiness is simply the absence of an
opposite emotion whether it is pain, sadness or something
else. If the opposite emotions are never experienced then
happiness can never be experienced either. Just as bad
times allow you to appreciate good times, and hunger allows
you to appreciate food, sadness allows you to appreciate
and experience happiness.

We can also define happiness as enjoying, showing, or
marked by pleasure, satisfaction or joy.

If you ask most people what happiness means you will
probably hear "I'll be happy when ". When I get that
promotion, I'll be happy. I'll be happy when I meet the
person of my dreams. If I had one million dollars, I'd be
happy.

These, and all the other "if I had" scenarios are
following the same reasoning; that happiness is based on
external circumstances.

If you base your happiness on external circumstances, you
will continuously fail to find happiness. There will
always, always be another external circumstance. There will
always be another dollar, another job, another house, or
another partner. Better, more, else.

To break this vicious cycle, we must find our happiness
somewhere else. That somewhere else is within. We have been
given everything we need to be happy.

One of the ways to allow yourself to choose happiness is to
understand life is perfect. Although this subject is worthy
of it's own article, life is perfect because we create it
with our choices. Since we can create life, how much better
can it get?

When we can accept that life is perfect as it is and that
our lives are the sum total of everything that has happened
to this instant, only then can we accept the joy and
happiness we deserve.

I realize that this concept is very difficult for some to
accept. However, the alternative to being happy now is to
spend the rest of our lives seeking happiness as if
happiness was an item to be bought or found.

It's not. Just remember the saying - Don't worry - be
happy!

Happiness is elusive but can be found. Start with the free tools available at the blog: http://www.miamiphillips.com/