Truth #11 - Happiness

My definition of happiness is the ability to see things as they truly are, not what I or someone else wants them to be.  That allows you to live in the moment and enjoy everything and everyone around you.  Very hard to do but I think that makes you the happiest. People, including myself, have used several effective tools to achieve this mysterious happiness that eludes everyone.. pills (vitamins, herbs, antidepressants, etc.) diet, exercise, therapy, all help to make you feel happy.  Or is it to make your mood better? I think the people and places you surround yourself with also have a role in it. Being around losers will probably make you a loser...because like minded people don't usually encourage change cause nobody is thinking "out of the box."  Seeing things as they truly are  is difficult and takes a lot of courage.  It is extremely hard for me, and from what I see it is for most people.  For example, I see many couples that know they shouldn't be together but they don't have the guts to admit it.  They stay together because that's all they know, or for the kids, or worried about about what others think,  This despite that in each of our hearts we know how to be happy.  My heart learned when I was a child and my mom would hug and kiss me, or the first time I went to Disneyland, or the when I played a game I really enjoyed.  That was my baseline, my inner child.  But along the way bad things happened along with the good.  And I forgot what "happy" really is because eventually I protected my self by not feeling EVERYTHING and only what I wanted to feel or thought it should feel.  So your happy senses are only at 50% cause that's all you think they are capable of...my children being born, a first date, my wedding, enjoying my wife,..all happy events...but so is waking up, listening to the birds chirp, the smell of flowers, the laugh of children playing, are all things I ignored and took for granted.  Which means I took myself for granted....stopped worrying about what I ate, or exercised, or really wanted to do instead of making others happy.   Others should be a consideration but not the main consideration. When that happens the road to real happiness is far.  Courage is the most important tool to happiness next to turning to God for help.  Courage to say this is what I really want.  To tell yourself I am worth it so i will do it.  To stop listen, hear, see, smell, touch, FEEL.  Happiness comes from feeling the sad events also.  My father died several years ago and I miss him everyday.  He never saw me on the road to my full potential, but he always wanted that for me.  He always was on my side and was my biggest supporter.  On this earth he was my hero.  But some of these things I didn't let myself feel until now.  Feeling it makes me happy at the thought of him.  My greatest champion.  Everything can be happy if you have the courage to do what you know is right.