I'll Be Happy When...
I get that promotion.
I find my dream man/woman.
I lose 30 pounds.
I get through this thing I'm going through.
Are you guilty of this? The I'll be happy when's?
You have it stuck in your head that accomplishing that goal or desire will finally allow happiness. The moment that one thing happens is the magical instant where happiness enters my life, floods in like a tsunami wave to engulf every atom of your being.
Stop chasing happiness
My friend, I have to share this with you. I'm only telling you this because I care about you. It might sting a bit to hear, and I am sorry for that, but you need to know this: you will not be happy when.
Sure, when you find your dream partner you will feel that rush of endorphins and other feel good chemicals, and damn straight you will pump your fists when you lost that extra weight. But these are fleeting. The endorphin rush of a new romance lasts 6 months at best, the promotion will give you greater responsibilities with the greater paycheck so you will have to take slices out of other parts of your life, and you will think about your weight loss less and less after that initial celebration date.Happiness is not something that naturally comes following the acquisition of something. Happiness is a state of mind. A state of being. We have been sold the idea of happiness for so long- drink coke and you'll smile; buy this bed and you'll awaken with a grin; eat at Joes and you'll experience bliss- we are conditioned to believe that happiness only comes after something.
If we keep going on this path we will spend our whole lives chasing something for a happiness trophy. But the trophy is never there at the end.
Happiness must be separated from our achievements
We need to catch ourselves when we have that little thought that we need something before we can be happy. When we are mindful of this little fubar we have been brainwashed with, we can train ourselves to let go of that misleading belief. When you catch yourself having an I'll be happy when, consciously let go of that "need." It will get easier with practice. The more we do this the more we will naturally feel the experience of being happy in the present moment, and the less our minds will automatically fixate on ideas in the future for fulfillment.
When you stop focusing on the idea of happiness you start to receive the thoughts and experiences that will actually make you happy.
Being able to let go of past mistakes and future worries is not easy but is the cornerstone to living a well rounded and satisfying life. Be here now. In the moment. Experience this moment. Savor it. Enjoy each moment for its true purpose and place in your reality.
Use the time you saved by stopping chasing happiness to start eliminating things that prevent happiness. If you are in a toxic relationship, have a poor diet or hate your job- do something about it! Purge the things that are standing in the way of a happy state of being.We can be rid of the obsessively eternal search for happiness by quitting the neurotic chase and just allow it.
You only have one life that you know of. You might as well enjoy it :)
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For me happiness is all about satisfaction. If you are satisfied then you are happy.
I was lucky enough to invest in crypto bitcoin from 2012 and that made me rich and now i am travelling the world and fulfilling my photography dream.
So i am now happy with my #life
I here started my blog. I hope you will Love it.
Underwater photoshoot at Bali - A heaven on earth.
Visit Santa's official office at SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE in Finland
Great foresight! So many wish they would have invested long ago lol.
Congrats!
I believe happiness is based on circumstances but joy is something that is deeper and can be maintained even in the most difficult of situations.
I think your Joy is related to my Bliss ;)
Agreed! :)
I spent a lot of my time in my youth chasing happiness only to realise it existed all around me. I just had to accept me. 2017 has been a year of acceptance and although that hasn't stopped anxiety and depression creeping in it has been a huge year for successes and none of them would have been possible if I hadn't decided to be happy with who I was first.
Well said! And congrats :) I wish 2018 to be filled with even more blessings and successes for you <3
Awesome thought, it is true you have to smile at the little thing and make changes in your life that remove the unhappy things. Try to enjoy the process and when times are tough know they will be better in the future. Life comes in waves for sure.
Exactly! Everything you said is true :)
I was guilty of this, I admit.
But recently found it suits me best to think:
It's changed my mindset from "I'll be happy when....." to being happy regardless of if I "advance" or not. But there's always some extra fun to be had in trying :p
Good post, well worthy of a read, especially this time of the year when people make an absurd amount of new years resolutions of what all they
willwant to do... to ultimately "become happy" in the end. :|Exactly, there is always room for improvement :) But if you are not happy within yourself, anything outward will never make you so.
Exactly! :D
Hard shifts to make in your mind, but oh so worth it ^^
Great article @arbitrarykitten
I choose joy, always.
Yes!
Very wise words.
These days it's more like "I'm happy now, but I'll be happier once I find complete self-love, once I know my self-worth, once I stop justifying myself to others..." That sort of thing. But I am working on acknowledging more and more the happiness I am in right now, so that I can recognise the abundance I have right now, even if it doesn't quite look like what I originally had in mind.
Nothing ever looks like the picture we play in our heads ;)
what would bring me more happiness than anything, right now ?-
...... is having a list of writing challenges I could enter....Just laid out....
I must be stupid (ok, I know that already), but I can't seem to find them...
(is there a list/link?)
If helping fellow steemitians makes you really really happy, you don't have to look very far...(is that a good hint? lol)
I just did this one - is there anywhere else I can post in a challenge...???
https://steemit.com/story-300words/@lucylin/boots-and-battles
Was that one written for a particular contest or are you looking for a contest to enter it into?
This was written for one specific challenge - I'll sell it around like a hooker on a street corner, though, no worries!
(Please note - I am allowed to use any terms like this without any derogatory connotations, as am in the adult industry for 15 years, and had girlfriends who are indeed hookers, and therefor I have total moral privilege. And immunity. ...😂😂😂)
BUT someone told me I should enter some challenges with the things I write.
( I am not aware of their inebriated state, when they said this, however)
Would a daily list of writing challenges be a good thing, oh wise one?? ( many photo ones)
Lol!
No worries, I live #nofilter and have coined it's hashtag ;)
I think someone does this, or at least used to. Go into the search bar and search writing contests and search by date not relevance.
I was toying around with this exact same idea a bit, because of the way search is set up it is a bit difficult to find things sometimes, but I just didn't have the time.
I think it would go over very well.
Seems like the perfect kind of project for a kitten to put together, and get participants to upvote...
and make a little profit along the way.....
....just sayin'....
I'm in the middle of a big and complicated move that must be done by mid next week, and my mind is in a million and a half places... Remind me of this in two weeks, there are a lot of contests and with the rate Steemit is growing a partner would definitely be warranted :)
I hate moving - so stressful - and I only have a rucksack!
Absolutely a state of mind. Took me a loooong time to stop chasing and start embracing. Now I'm happy :-)
I know, same here! Why is it the most important things we need to thrive aren't taught? And by the time we realize they are things, and important things we need at that, the opposite is so ingrained in us that it takes forever to change?!
I am so guilty of this. We learn, in this society, that happiness and success are tied to accomplishments and having "stuff". Taking a moment to think of the small things that bring joy is a must. Thank you for the reminder.
Happiness is a place to be within yourself. And usually its the little things that will spark your happiness <3