How Can A Person Be Truly Happy?
How can a person be truly happy? This is a question that has been bugging my mind for the past few months. Let's start from the very basic question, what is happiness? I searched through Cambridge Dictionary and this is what I got:
Happiness /ˈhæpinəs/ noun
-the state of being happy
So what is happy?
Happy /ˈhæpi/ adjective
-pleased and in a good mood, especially because something good has happened
-satisfied and not worried
Really? A person that is satisfied and not worried? Does that person even exist? In my opinion, humans naturally want more than what they get. If someone would come up to me and say "I am contented of what I have and who I am", I might be the most negative thinker in the world but I would immediately think that this person does not want growth. To me, to be contented is to be stagnant. All of us probably have different opinion when it comes to this matter but this is not the issue right now, let's go back to the real issue which is how can we really be happy? Will contentment make us happy? Will success, money, boyfriend, girlfriend, family and friends make us happy? If we reached our goals, is that finally going to make us happy? Then after reaching that goal, what's next?
I came across a clip of Steve Harvey Show, it was an interview with Bishop TD Jakes. The interview was short, but it was the most meaningful short clip I have ever watched in my entire life. No kidding! This man literally answered all of my questions about happiness. I know, all of us are from different walks of life. We all experience different problems and we have different hang ups from each other. But whatever you are going through right now, I would like to share with you what I have learned from that video and achieve the maximum happiness of this lifetime.
5 Steps To Happiness.
1. OWN YOUR OWN HAPPINESS
Happiness should start from within. Don't expect your partner, kids and loved ones to make you happy. You have to learn how to appreciate small things and be happy about them. Remember that you should own your own happiness, so you are actually in control when to be happy. And also, it is very important to learn that material things won't make you happy. Shopping does not necessarily give you happiness (Did I really just said that? Haha!)."You have the responsibility of that peace and that joy that lives inside your heart and not inside your stuff." - Bishop TD Jakes
2. CHALLENGE YOUR STORY
"You wrote the script, change your story" - Bishop TD Jakes
3. ENJOY THE JOURNEY
I think journey is the biggest part of our lives that most of us take for granted. We shouldn't delay things, it's now or never! If we want something, we should immediately do something about it and enjoy every step of the way until we reach our goals. Fall down and learn from your mistakes, watch yourselves become better along the way. "You don't celebrate when you get to the finish line, celebrate all along the way, all along the way" - Bishop TD Jakes
4. MAKE RELATIONSHIPS COUNT
1st - Relationship with God
2nd - Relationship with yourself
"If you don't like yourself, it's going to be hard for me to like you" - Bishop TD Jakes
Bishop TD Jakes said that "..there is no fruit without relationships. We cannot be fruitful by ourselves." I always thought that I can do things on my own and that I don't need any help from other people. And because of this kind of thinking, I never noticed until recently that I was pulling myself away from my family. All I can say is that, I am very lucky to have the family that I have, a family who was patient to me and who will always be there for me no matter what despite my pride and my attitude problem. Treasure every member of your family, these are the people you can never replace.
Another thing that I had to learn the hard way is, selecting good relationships. It is very important for you to surround yourself with people who respect you and who truly care about you. May it be your friends or your partner, stick with people who will pull you up rather than drag you down. "You are no more than the relationships you surround yourself with, and make sure that they are the good ones" - Bishop TD Jakes
5. BALANCE WORK WITH PLAY
Don't beat yourself up at work, always remember to have a break! And if you're a mom like me, be a fun parent you don't want to always be the disciplinarian in the house. Have some fun sometimes, always balance work with play. "With children, it's not what you leave to them that makes them great, it's what you leave in them." - Bishop TD Jakes
Watch the video:
"If you don't see yourself as valuable, no body else will." - Bishop TD Jakes
