True Happiness lies within your outlook on life

As I listened to my friend talk about why he was not happy a little over a week ago, I was reminded of how I was once a victim to faulty thinking—unfounded beliefs rooted in the perception that my happiness existed in accomplishments I desired.
My friend has a career that he admits financially compensates him well and gives him the opportunity to do meaningful work. He is a smart individual with supportive friends and a woman he’s dating who adores him.
I was frustrated as I stared at my friend while he discussed the reasons for his general unhappiness—he hadn’t accomplished his major goals yet and lived too far from the loved ones he depended on for advice.
“But, the point is at least you have those friends and family you can call,” I said to him.
“Why view the glass as half empty rather than half full,” I thought to myself even more frustrated.
My friend views and discusses happiness— as if it is a difficult state to attain—an elusive one he hopes to stumble upon one day. Many of us are sick with the disease of faulty thinking and assume that if we can just “get happy”—like it is some kind of pill you digest—we will be thrust into a better existence void of worries and challenges. We complain about our lives, harshly critique ourselves, and rarely appreciate the blessings we do have all while inadvertently creating misery for ourselves.
Many times we settle for that kind of defeating existence believing we are prey to the challenges and circumstances that hunt us. But what is really preventing you from being happy now as you pursue your dreams? It is a misconception to think that you will suddenly be catapulted into a happier state all because of a change in your surroundings or the attainment of possessions or status.
As I stood there looking at my friend, I felt grateful and relieved that I had learned this lesson years ago after I got fed up with my happiness fluctuating with the changes in my environment.
My conversation with my friend reinforced my belief that happiness is a choice – one you should make for your life every day just as you choose what clothes to place on your body. It can be found in pursuing the life you desire while being grateful for the opportunity to do so.
And as you pursue your goals, avoid defining your state of happiness by the problems you experience or your past mistakes. Your problems will not last forever and most importantly can be solved by identifiable solutions and changes in your lifestyle.
Start today and make changes that will lead you on a path to living the best life that you can. The decision is yours.