What Makes You Happy?
First off Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you and everyone important to you has a wonderful holiday season. Snow or no snow, it’s a time for celebrating and really cherishing what you have. For those that don’t celebrate Christmas, I hope you enjoy whatever holiday you get. You definitely deserve it. Relax, have some good drinks and get ready for another year.
My best friend got married last month in Japan. I took some time off to attend his wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and it left a lasting impression on me. And after all was said and done the wedding really made me think about what make people happy. The picture you saw when you entered this post is one that I took when I was at Kurama-yama in Kyoto.
So what makes you happy? Do you like to play instruments or listen to live music? Make money? Go on vacations? Participate in sexual activities? Engage in sports or exercise? Play video games? Alcohol? Good food? Your significant other or your children? It’s probably mix of the some of the above and a dose of something else.
Over the past few days I was thinking about what happiness meant to me. The past few months have really taken it’s toll on me with stress from work, studying, the loss of my beloved dog, a break-up of a long term relationship and other stuff and I needed to take a break to think through what was important to me. I made a mistake two years ago in terms of my career and I’m really feeling like I’m trying to get back to where I was. Time has passed and it seems like I’m still behind whom I was two years ago.
Obviously, this isn’t quite true. I’ve grown, like we all do, with past experiences. We grow stronger and that’s what makes us such beautiful beings. After getting through some courses and tough exams and with the year winding down, I figured I needed to have more of a balance in life, it’s just so easy to lose track of things in life that I believe it is important to take some time for yourself to put your priorities in order.
From a little brainstorming, I determined that the things that make me happy in life are music, beer, love, and peace. I’m not going to give you some ideal speech about what happiness ought to be. I think each and every one of us has a different definition of “happiness” in our hearts. The music I like, which happens to Rock, Blues, and Jazz may not be to your liking. The type of beer or love I hope for might be totally different from your twisted way of thinking.
So now I know what brings happiness into my life, what am I going to do about it? Well simple, prescribe a happiness pill into my life by incorporating those things I cherish. Playing the guitar 20 minutes a day, not by making it a chore but playing what I really want to play. Sure I drink beer like 3-4 times a week, but instead of just chugging it, really enjoying it. Love, sure it could be sexual but it doesn’t have to be. Sharing love with others can lead to my fourth element, peace.
I meet so many arrogant, angry and impatient people everyday that a little love can really change some people. Some people are hopeless, yes. But some of these arrogant, angry and impatient people just need a little love and a smile and genuine compliment can really go a long way. It’s really about perspective and having a positive attitude. Life is what you make of it.
Attaining true happiness isn’t something that can be done overnight. But just by being conscious that you want to achieve happiness goes a long way. Over the past week, I have been able to have a positive attitude towards life. You can’t change the way you live your life drastically, so take it in baby steps. Those small steps will make a huge difference in the long run. For most of us, life is a long journey so there’s no need to sweat it. Just think of your long-term goals and don’t lose yourself too much on your way to achieving this goals.
This almost sounds like my New Year’s resolution and it probably will be a part of it. Sometimes it’s important to sort your thoughts out. We have so much information going in and out of our minds it’s so easy to get your mind all tangled out. Don’t you think it’s time you grabbed a notebook, glass of wine, some bitter chocolate and start to really think about what happiness means to you?
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01 January 2012
