The Quickest Path to Happiness
For the last couple of months I have been writing on various aspects of success and how to attain it. Today’s post is different. We look at a more direct way of being happy. The previous blog posts have been seeking happiness through determination, effort and hard work.
Since we are dealing with the mind in this series, I think it would be prudent of me to share with you what I have recently learned about happiness and how it is connected with the mind.
Happiness is a state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. The quickest way of being happy is to decide to be happy. Tell your mind to be happy. Do not put conditions to your being happy. Just resolve to be happy today, not in future.
Many personal development or self improvement blogs such as this one, and even books, seminars, tapes and workshops teach you ways of attaining success. They propose that following their doctrine will make you happy. Fortunately for you and I, there is a faster way of being happy, and that is by conditioning your mind to be happy.
You do not need to drive a Ferrari to be happy. You do not need to married to be happy. You do not need to have a degree to be happy. You do not need to be out of debt to be happy. You do not need to be in good physical condition or health to be happy.
I have found myself postponing my happiness many times in my life. I told myself that I will be happy once I score highly in my high school exams. I told myself that I will be happy when I graduate. Then I told myself that I would be happier when I start my own business, get a life partner or buy this or that.
Unfortunately as I achieved one goal in my life, there was always something more to do. For years I traded my present happiness for the hope of a better tomorrow. Many ambitious people like me end up making that mistake. Have you been limiting your present happiness until you achieve a goal or something happens? Have you postponed your happiness my friend?
I started this blog to be able to inspire my friends to be the best they can be. But I have other goals for it too. I want this blog to become popular. I want people to know about it, visit and leave comments. I want to build a thriving online community around this blog, for like minded fellows like you and me to meet, discuss what is happening in our lives and encourage each other. However, it is not an easy job. I have to put in hours upon hours, maybe even years, to make it all happen. I could postpone my happiness to the day my ideas and hopes become reality. But instead I choose to be happy today. I choose to be happy that YOU are reading this today. It is easier and better for me to rejoice with each new reader or commenter on this blog, than to wait for a million visitors that may or may never come.
Let us now look at how you can have a quick path to happiness in a few areas of life.
1) Health & Wellness
Many people who are out of shape (read fat or obese) postpone their happiness until after they get to their weight goals. It may take months or years to reach your desired goals in how you look. Why waste that time by being unhappy, in the hope you will be happy once you lose the weight? Many fat people avoid socializing, buying themselves nice clothes and being confident. They tell themselves that one day soon, they will live their dream life and be happy. If you are in that position my friend, my advice is really simple. Quit dreaming and be happy today. Life is too short to be lived in future tense.
2) Work (Jobs & Careers)
It is very easy to postpone happiness until you get a particular job or career. It is also very easy to postpone happiness to until you quit your job if you are unhappy with it.
We spend at least a quarter of our lives working every day. Why be unhappy at the job? Why ruin 25% of your life with something you can mentally control (in many cases)? You can control whether to be happy or not. It is a state of mind. Look at the glass as being half full in regards to your job and you may increase your happiness.
3) Financial Freedom
I believe that money can buy happiness if you know where to shop. But I also believe that in some cases, the money we come across the more problems we get. The best you can do is to de-link your happiness from the size of your bank account. It is easier said than done, but always bear in mind that you are not your money. You will still exist even without money. Be happy even when you have crippling debt. Have a plan for financial freedom and work to meet your financial goals and obligations, but do not let money come between you and happiness. You deserve more out of life.
4) Home & Family
You do not have to wait until you buy your own home for you to be happy. You can be happy whether you are married, single, with or without kids. Strive to be happy regardless of the home or family situation. Do not postpone your happiness until you make major strides in your home and family life.
5) Relationships
Relationships are like butterflies. They go through different phases and cycles. Learning to be happy at each phase of a relationship can save a relationship and even help the relationship thrive. What kind of relationships are you in (friendships included)? Are you happy or are postponing your happiness?
What a Fisherman Taught A Wall Street Guru about Happiness
I was once told a story about a Wall Street guru who made a bunch of money and decided to take a holiday to a Caribbean Island with his family.
He met a fisherman who showed him and his family around the Island. They got to talk about various issues. The Wall Street professional told the fisherman that if only he was ambitious like him, he would achieve a lot in his life.
Wall Street Guy: If I were you, I would get a couple of people to help me with the work, sell the fish to a bigger merchant, re-invest the profits and get a second boat, then maybe a third and a fourth boat.
Fisherman: Oh man! And what would you do with all them boats?
Wall Street Guy: I would be making so much money and would use some of that money to find out all I can about selling to bigger markets like the United States.
Fisherman: That’s one big market. It would be very tiring selling to all those people.
Wall Street Guy: You won’t have to get tired, in fact you could go to the bank and borrow against your business and expand it with other people’s money.
Fisherman: I fear other people’s money. I won’t sleep well at night if I owe people money.
Wall Street Guy: A lot of people run their businesses with other people’s money. You could even make a killing by listing on the stock market and retire rich.
Fisherman: What kind of money are we talking about here?
Wall Street Guy: Millions. Untold millions.
Fisherman: And what would you do if you had those millions?
Wall Street Guy: I would retire to a nice island with my family, spend my time relaxing and fishing.
Fisherman: And why do you want me to go to all that trouble just to end up where I am, doing exactly what I am doing?
Sometimes we take the long road to happiness. You may be chasing the wind with some dreams. Take a moment to reflect on what will really make you happy. Cut the fluff and just be happy. The road to happiness does not have to be that long.
Summary
A beautiful mind is one that gets results. Many people do things to either avoid pain or gain pleasure. In other words people do things in order to be happy. Do yourself a favor and find the quickest way to happiness. Hint: It is all in the mind.
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What a beautiful description of happiness.. i totally agree with the principle and I love the story of the fisherman and the prof… its true we chase after wild dreams and end up forgeting to live each dayat a time..
Thank Dan for today’s post…
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Indian Chief,’Two Eagles,’ was asked by a white government official, ‘You have observed the white man for 90 years. You’ve seen his wars and his technological advances. You’ve seen his progress, and the damage he’s done.’ The Chief nodded in agreement.The official continued, ‘Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?’
The Chief stared at the government official for over a minute and then calmly replied. ‘When white man find land, Indians running it. No taxes, No debt, Plenty buffalo, Plenty beaver, Clean Water; Women did all the work, Medicine Man free. Indian man spend all day hunting and fishing; All night having sex.’
Then the chief leaned back and smiled. ‘Only white man dumb enough to think he can improve system like that.
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Dobah Reply:
April 20th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Whoa!! How precise!
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I totally agree, u can be in debt and still be happy, u can be sad and STILL be happy….being at peace with yourself and those around you, including nature will bring you happiness even during the “storms” of life.
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I have always known that happiness is a choice and that you make the choice everyday. Thanks Dan. You said it as it is. Well done!!
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Happiness is within our reach, our grasp. Many thanks for the inspiring messages. I have been reading your posts & they have been very helpful to the extent of I sharing them with friends. Blessings.
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you’ve spelt it so well for us Dan, simple and workable,…..all we need is to make a conscious decision to be happy in our current situations, even as we work at attaining our goals…Thanks
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Happy life, beatiful minds is all we need to get us through life.that is what i have learnt today.i will no longer make excuses for not being happy i have always dwealt in moment of “i was happy when…..or will be happy when…”thats gone now!have choosen to always be happy thanx to your article.you are such an inspiration to many.do you have a book on this?
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I have just read this article at the right time.
I will live to be happy every day, stop postponing and living in future tense.Dan u r doing a great job.God bless u as u inspire millions
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Interesting dialogue up there. Beautiful minds! Positive ones! i can tell that all these people commenting here have a powerful mind..
We have the mind of Christ.
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What an inspiration … I adore ya thinking man!!
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Very interesting points on happiness. The topic on de-linking happiness from financial freedom is inaccurate to some extent. I work in finance and have a good understanding of what we call behavioural finance, and it’s a cruel joke to advise your readers to “Be happy when you have crippling debt”. How? I hope you have had a client in front of you who has lost all his investments through mistakes of not his own making, and looking for your guidance. They will hit you if you just told them “Do not let money come in your way and happiness”. Just look at the impact of the global financial crisis on rate of divorce. But I agree with you, money should not rule our life. At the same time we need to be real, “Probably a better advice would be not to allow financial failures deter us from future pursuits of investments, and the freedom that comes with it”. I hope you have heard of investors who lost money to Madoff.
While I excuse your explanation of financial freedom, I find it interesting that you have not mention the role of faith and spirituality in happiness. Research has shown that people of faith (allow me to use Christians, for the simple reason I am) are happier than non-Christians.
I would think our inner values represented by our faith determine all criteria of happiness espoused in your article. What is your take on that?
Lastly, granted happiness was that simple to achieve, why is that there are so many hurting people? Yet your prescription sounds “quick” and “quick fix” Every day I see pain with people, which at times looks very deep and personal. At times I think that these people are also struggling to be happy, but some how they do not know how to. I am yet to find out how to help.
I love the story of a fish and Wall Street guy.
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Happiness is the best madicine.
You can achive happiness by being content with what you have and with what you dont have.
I am often acused of being to serious … I think its time to review my values and give happiness a chance.
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I’m so happy to read this,thanks a lot Dan, you are a real inspirer…
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Love that wall street anecdote…i keep forgeting to be happy now..i keep telling myself i used to be happy when….and i shall be happy again when i get all that back, consequently i go thu most ays just waiting for that happiness to manifest and forget that im here now, breathing now, living now….trust me, the fact that i started reading your blog daily (and im sure im not the only one) means you are achieving your goal one step at a time.
@allan, ding what you do, means you know what you are talking about, aren’t most people obssesed with getting more?
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hi,
i like your article as it touches on what real happiness is.
it basically doing what your passionate about whether is monetary gain or not.i tell my friends that there is no amount of money that ever made a good teacher,or soldier,or an artist!am not saying that money isnt important!far from it!i spend the bulk of my time as an insurance and invetiment advisor with cfclife advising people how to secure their futures.
all am saying is that if your aim is to just get more money,you may end up getting very empty inside.
thank you for telling people what life is.
regards,
allan
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Hapiness is not a destination it is a way:)
When I was kid we were taught a song it said
“Happiness is where you are and what you want to be, if you look you are sure to find the rainbows of your dreams, Tomorrow is fuller that thousand yesterdays,with a vision of a new day in your heart”
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Amazing blog. This is the truth that everyone should know of, that happiness is a state of mind. Wealth, health, and success are all states of mind. Few people have this knowledge. I read the book by Rhonda Byrne “The Secret” which talked about how we create things we see through our thoughts and feelings. The book has various subjects on money, relationships etc., but one concept that stood out is to BE HAPPY NOW. I am learning to be happy now, and I am making good progress. I am glad I have the eyes to read this amazing truth. Right know I am studying a course by Charles Haanel written in 1912-The Master Key System. This course is divided into 24 lessons, and trains the mind how to think constructively. Simply Amazing…
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Daniel, I’ve been truly blessed by this post. Honestly happiness is really within us all,I guess our goals make us blind to its daily presence-taking a cue from the story about the fisherman & wall st. guru. We just want more and never live in the beauty of a day, never counting our blessings! I believe once we acknowledge the good in our lives, happiness will easily come to us.Thanks Daniel, for helping me see that.
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Hello Daniel..ave been so energized by your words and positively embracing my call to action..ur gifted my friend..a journey wiv u is like undergoing a journey wiv myself..thanks for strength and sense of purpose..u’ve got me hooked..damn!!
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whaaaooooo am so impressed… i just lyke those tips on how to be happy and am sure God will do good things onto our life you’re such a role model to many. Thanks
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