Day 209: Finding Happiness
So many of us are waiting for life to be perfect before we begin to enjoy it. We think that if we could only have this or that, then we would be able to settle back and really take in the days we are living. But the truth is, if we cannot be happy with the life we are living now there is absolutely no way we can be happy with the life we might one day live, even if we're better off than we are now.
Everyone alive has some sort of desire for watching how our live will turn out. We desire money, a high paying job, and significant items such as a large house or an expensive car. They scream that we've made it in the worlds eye, they symbolize success in every area in our life. And we think if only we can reach these things, then we'll be able to enjoy life and be happy.
But that's all a life. There is no way we'll be able to be happy in life then when we've filled up our days with meaningless gunk that takes away form the true meaning of life. We fill the void of happiness with stuff and in the end we'll realize that either we need to change our life and strive after true happiness or that we were too late and nothing can be done about a life chasing after worthless junk.
True life begins when we begin to see the beauty and the value in everything around us. The smile of a stranger is far more valuable than a house and having a few really meaningful friends in our life will always be more rewarding than any job we could ever find. We have to start looking to the little moments in our life for joy, because that is the only place we will find it.
Value will never come in the form of an object or money. Value comes in the form of connection, memories, and experiences that can never be taken away from us. Living life is about collecting moments not objects. That way when we arrive to our death bed we are not steeped with regrets of all the things we didn't do, we'll be remembering all of the beautiful things we did do. Because I guarantee you those knocking on deaths door are not thinking about how wonderful their Ferrari is, they're thinking about that relationships they let slip through the cracks to get to the position in life where they could afford a Ferrari.
That's not to say you cannot own a nice house and an expensive car and not be happy. That is to say, you cannot believe your happiness will come when you acquire wealth, status, and objects. If you can be happy now with what you have and do not have, I guarantee you that you will be just as happy when you have everything. But if you cannot be happy in the present, when you gain everything you will realize you chased the wrong thing the entire time. Happiness comes when we view our life as beautiful the way it is while looking forward to what the future might hold.
Until Next Time,
Lillian Merritt
