Pursue Happiness In Success- Have the Cake and Eat it too.

 " Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence" Aristotle

The pursuit of happiness is yours for the taking. It is achievable, by being happy where you are right now, and not waiting for the right time, the right place, the right person. It is to be pursued now. A lot of people cannot be happy- because they do not know how. There are road blocks like low self esteem, and ghosts from the past that haunt them. Self limiting thoughts, beliefs, and erroneous messages tell them that they do not deserve to be happy. Guilt and messages from past prevail.

The reverse is true. A person who only seeks happiness and short term gratification without consideration for others, will only find that it eludes them.

Happiness is not hedonism. A hedonist seeks pleasure and avoids pain. There is little thought to future consequences. The feel good in the moment with justification does not  last.

"Don't worry be happy"- can be interpreted in more ways than one. It's true that worry is not to predominate our thoughts. However, being happy in the moment with a deep inner satisfaction is profoundly different from just enjoying the pleasures of the moment without operating from core values, or thinking of future consequences. Instant gratification is not the key here. In contrast, happiness and success are interlinked.

 " We are designed for the climb, not for taking our ease, either in the valley or at the summit"  John Gardner. former US secretary of health, education and welfare.

" The best moments usually occur when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile". Mihaly Czikzszentmihalyi

A life of ease, without challenges, without aim, without values, is not happiness. 

Ways to pursue happiness from accomplishments include:

1. Matching your expectations  and accomplishments. Reframing the way one sees things. The cup can be half empty or half full. Without denying the half empty half, acknowledging  the half full cup with gratitude and working on achieving what is possible-. Celebrating little successes , acknowledging accomplishments are succesess in t heir own right. When mini goals are reached. Celebrate. Appreciate. Not denying oneself of reaching higher goals,  yet not setting unrealistically high goals such unhappiness results if you fall short. the art of setting realistic goals, celebrateing, and moving on when each step is accomplished.

2. Enjoying the task, rather than only waiting for the outcome. Enjoying the work for the sake of the challenge, the joy of being – some call it the flow: there there is a wholehearted participation and dedication- being engaged, absorbed for the sake of the activity itself. The focus and absorption leads to a heightened state of consciousness, an almost euphoric state of mind. Washing the dishes, working on a project, writing, reading, - it can happen any time. the key is total absorption and involvement and commitment. Especially when the skill level is attuned to the challenges.

3. Remembering past successes.  Feeding on the feeling of success, of accomplishment, of having overcome . Anchoring this feeling is important to provide the confidence to surge ahead for more accomplishments and succesess and happiness.

4. Operating from your core values. They are your compass, and reflect who you are and what you want to be.

 "Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember there is no happiness in having or getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops yourself."

 "Today is life-the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto." Dale Carnegie

Operate from happiness. It is the way to true success.

technorati tags: happiness, successs, goal setting, core values 

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