I heard on a radio station the other day that people who
were aware of the fact they were nearing the end of their lives, many shared a
common regret, which was not allowing themselves to be happy. The study found that most people become complacent
in various areas of their lives, thus never allowing themselves to truly be
happy. I have to be honest, I was a
little surprised that MANY shared this similar regret, for one is only as happy
as they allow themselves to be; the only
thing holding one back from being happy is them. Sure there are several factors that can
attribute to bad days, bad moods, small stints of ‘funk,’ however at the end of
the day, it’s up to you to decide what makes you happy and to fulfill those
needs. I’m fascinated as to how people have the
inability to laugh, let loose or find the everyday beauty and joy that life has
to offer. I too have been in dark
places, however I was hell bent on getting myself out of those miserable places, dire to find true happiness again. When I’m
nearing the end of my life, I’m sure I’ll have the typical I wish I sky jumped, or I
never forgave so and so, but I really hope I never find myself in the same
boat as the individuals in this recent study, yearning for happiness that’s perhaps
too little, too late.
It's a process as we mature to learn to gradually love ourselves. We've been programmed since childhood to please other people: teachers, bosses, spouses, parents, etc. I believe it's why so many people have a "mid-life crisis" because they realize they've sacrificed their own "happiness" for others for so long, but little did they know those who they are trying to please are also fighting to find the same "happiness". We are mislead to believe we have to sacrifice joy in order to be successful and that "happiness" is defined by our work-life. We are led to believe that we have to do what makes us "happy" in life. Does a job define happiness? Does a relationship define happiness? Do material things define happiness? How does one define happiness? Is it a feeling? Is it a way of life? Is it a mentality? How do we obtain it and when do we know we have it?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. I think there's a lot of truth in what you said. I do think we spend far too much time, energy and effort trying to please the “big man,” instead of pleasing ourselves. I do think that true happiness is a multitude of different things, however, ultimately, I believe the people you surround yourself with weighs heavily on how happy you are as a person. What this means is, it is extremely important to surround yourself with optimistic people, carefree people, hard workers, those with good morals and judgment, which equates to those great friends and family members that share that common denominator as you; the want to be happy and lead a happy/productive life.
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