This year I found The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky to be truly inspiring. I read it and reread it, shared it, recommended it and gave it for presents. The science and applications are beautifully organized for the construction of a happy life full of gratitude, connection, meaning and self-acceptance.
I then found myself pondering that first and most difficult step in the process of achieving satisfaction: being ready to be happy. While it sounds simple and straightforward, this commitment is actually more deep and complex. This first step to contentment seems to require an openness to an unknown, elusive or perhaps even forbidden state. It involves letting go of striving and finding the happiness that we’ve missed as we have been focusing on achieving, possessing, parenting, controlling and/or merely surviving.
Being receptive to happiness may involve overcoming such obstacles as negative emotions like hurt, jealousy, disappointment, loss or resentment. Being truly ready requires determination and perseverance as the ever present demands of our lives are continually available to interfere and distract us.
In this first step we are mature individuals as we explore the most personal task of fully taking responsibility for our own happiness independent of family, work and friends.
Those who are ready for contentment believe, that it is possible, even as imperfect humans, to truly enjoy our selves and savor our lives. As we commit fully to this task we must resist the temptation to feed our emptiness with short lived gratifications. We cannot blame others or circumstances when our expectations are not met. If we are determined to enjoy meaningful happiness we cannot allow the cynicism of others nor our own fears to dilute our energy and divert our trajectory.
As we take the first step of being open to experiencing gratitude and happiness in our evolving, challenging, imperfect lives, we are merely by our presence deserving.
If we are ready to take this first step and all that it brings, then we can begin to optimistically to connect in the present and allow happiness to unfold in our unique lives.
Elayne Hunter
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