Happiness

 

An Internet article title caught my attention: “Happiness Dollars”. The article spoke about the age old question, “Can money buy happiness?”

What would it take to make you truly happy? What could make you wake up daily with a smile on your face and honestly say, “Today, I’m happy!”, and really mean it?

I can imagine some answers:

“A million dollars.”
“Being debt free.”
“A husband.”
“A wife."
“A child."
“Someplace to call my own.”
“A new job.”
“No job.”
“A new relationship.”
“No relationship.”
“A stress free day."
“A vacation.”
“Great friends.”

Certainly, these things can bring a measure of happiness. However, the problem with happiness is that it is fleeting. Happiness depends on happenings. And sometimes the happenings aren’t so pleasant. Some days our jobs, spouses, children, and friends can make us unhappy. Our everyday lives can interrupt our happiness. We can wake up with every intention of making it a “happy day”, but something can occur to divert our happiness. There is a saying, “Life is what happens when you have other things planned.” The reality is that we cannot plan our happiness around our lives or our lives around our happiness. We would constantly subject ourselves to disappointment. Happiness is great. It gets our endorphins flowing and reduces stress levels. It makes us feel good. But life should be less about pursuing happiness and more about living a fulfilling life.

Consider the following essentials for living a fulfilling life:

Joy. Joy is different from happiness. Joy does not depend on external factors like happiness does. Joy is an internal state of the heart. Joy energizes you. Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Joy makes you smile when it seems that you have nothing to smile about.

Contentment. You’ve heard the saying, “Enjoy where you are on the way to where you’re going.” That sums up “contentment”. Contentment is not about settling for mediocrity or the status quo, but it is about appreciating your current blessings and successes. If you don’t appreciate what you have, it is difficult to move to the next level of blessings or success. Living a fulfilling life means learning, like Paul in Philippians 4:12, the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Peace. Peace is a state of internal calmness and serenity, which is free from worry and anxiety. Living life to its fullest means having peace in the midst of storms, trials, and tests. It means having the type of peace that others cannot comprehend, considering what you are going through. Having peace is to “let go and let God”. It means trusting God will work on your behalf in the midst of life’s challenges.

Sense of purpose. Living a fulfilling life means having a sense of purpose. It means figuring out why you were created and what contribution you can make in the world. When you have a sense of purpose you have a reason to wake up each day. Our families, friends, careers, and callings give us a sense of purpose. We can connect with others and become active in church and public service organizations to give us a sense of purpose. Mentor a youth or a peer. Having a sense of purpose involves serving others and helping to enhance their lives.

Making each day matter. Living a fulfilling life means making each day matter. We can make each day matter by deciding to do something meaningful daily, big or small. It means maximizing your time. Making each day matter means making the most of your life.

Gratitude. Living life to its fullest means having an attitude of thankfulness for what you do have. My personal motto is, “In everything, find the blessing.” Having gratitude means making a habit of seeing the blessing in a situation, no matter how big or small. This will change your perspective. Look at what you do have, not at what you don’t have. Think about what’s going right not about what’s going wrong. Your outlook determines your outcome. Mindset is everything!

Hope. Hope is expecting something desirable to happen or be possible. Hope anchors our faith. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for….” Hope embodies optimism, anticipation, and aspiration. Hope motivates us to move forward toward a goal. Hope energizes and revives us. With hope, we see the possibilities. Living life to its fullest means being hopeful about what can happen and expecting the promises of God to come to pass.

Faith. Faith is believing what you expect to happen will happen. Faith is persistent, even when the odds are stacked against you or the goal seems implausible. “Faith is…the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is believing that something will happen even though you do not have any visible proof yet!

Happiness will come (and go). Pursue a fulfilling life full of joy, contentment, peace, hope, faith, and a sense of purpose, being full of gratitude and making each day matter!

Jacinta M. Gray,
The Couch Coach