Finding Happiness

By Melissa Zollo

Happiness is both a deep quest and a subjective state of well-being. Finding happiness within yourself starts with self-awareness.

For some, finding happiness means freeing oneself from a "distressed mind" or from emotions like grief, regret, sorrow, dread, or woe. For others, it involves learning to make new choices, prioritizing self-care and mental health.

If you're trying to figure out how to be happy, consider being aware of potential obstacles like self-sabotage habits, signs of emotional exhaustion, or a  lack of personal or professional boundaries.

When faced with traumatic memories, adverse circumstances, chronic worry, or post-traumatic stress disorder, choosing happiness can be challenging. However, with professional support, it's possible to manage and overcome these emotional challenges by developing coping skills and strategies for happiness.

Those who regularly compare or compete with others often experience lower life satisfaction and self-esteem.

Each of us must discover what happiness means and how to achieve it.

Happiness is an internal feeling, not merely the temporary fulfillment of desires, material possessions, or external achievements. We often search for emotional fulfillment without understanding that our mind and emotions can trap us in a cycle of fluctuating feelings, moving from pain to pleasure and back again.

Everyone is at a different point in their life's journey. For some, happiness feels elusive as they search for purpose or simply to feel alive. For others obsessed with money or material gains, this pursuit of material gain can veil their true nature and inner peace, leading to stress rather than contentment.

I advocate for having a wonderful income, harmonious relationships, and success in the workplace. Happy or grateful responses show that something is perceived as good. Positive outcomes can make you feel blessed and hopeful.

However, focusing externally often leads to anxiety about the past or worry about the future. Even when goals are achieved, there's often little time to savor the fulfillment or build on the momentum of happiness or gratitude. This can be because many people are not accustomed to feeling happy or grateful in the present, instead focusing on doubts, fears, chaos, or external validations like power, prestige, and profit.

Albert Einstein once stated, "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it." We must learn to see the world anew.

Life is a continual process of harmonizing and reconciling the past and the present.

If we lived honestly, we’d tell the truth, accept ourselves as we are, stop trying to prove ourselves, surrender false expectations, let go of the past, stop trying to change others and have a dream for a happier life.

We would take responsibility for our own happiness. To do that requires that we take a balanced assessment of where we are.

Here are a sampling of questions that you need to ask.

• How am I feeling?

• When was the last time I felt truly happy?

• What overwhelms and triggers me?

• Am I in need of approval from others?

• What am I grateful for in my life?

• Do I feel free to dream, to change, to create and live in a better world?

• Do I feel that my life is my own or do I feel trapped in a net to please othersy?

• What are my true gifts?

KNOW YOURSELF!

Believe that you are greater than you think. The sooner you evaluate your state of mind, the results you attract, and assess how happy you feel, the sooner you can envision, shift, and act to attract more happiness into your life. Understanding your inner self will lead to a fuller, richer, happier life experience.

Before we can truly live life on our terms, we need a deeper realization of who we are and our relationship with the Power Within and the Universe around us.

Here are some pivotal questions to ponder:

• Who or what is the source of my being?

• Why is emotional management vital for successful outcomes?

• Do I have a powerful personal vision directing my choices and decicions?

Most importantly, we must understand the power of our mental images and their daily influence, especially when facing seemingly insurmountable challenges.

While in Mexico, I witnessed a scene at a marketplace surrounded by dilapidated streets. Despite the surroundings, the atmosphere was filled with laughter and communal joy, which was infectious. This contrasted sharply with an encounter in a shop where a tourist's frustration over language and perceived slights only served to diminish her own joy, while the local saleswoman maintained her dignity and happiness.

Circumstances are neutral; it's our perspective that defines them as negative or positive. Connecting with each other's spirit is an opportunity to increase the circulation of happiness and peace in the world.

Would you like to achieve more happiness in all aspects of your life? Happiness, like all states of awareness, is an inside job. Define happiness for yourself, commit to using your imagination, remove spiritual blinders, and develop yourself to live life fully. With this decision, you will attract the people, resources, and help needed to experience more love.

Self-improvement doesn't have to be difficult. Good images lead to good thoughts, vibrations, actions, and results. The right mental image can open doors with surprisingly little effort.

Thomas Aquinas once said, "No one can live without joy."

All the happiness, joy, peace, laughter, and love are available to you now if you unlock your mind and align with the Spirit Within.

Never close the door on your dreams – they are calling you!

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