The ''Be Happy'' Project

Much of my fascination with happiness is linked to the fact most people are miserable. I don't think that's a cynical perspective I just think it's a realistic appraisal of reality. Look around you carefully and you'll see a lot of people behaving like they're happy, but genuine happiness eludes them.

Our culture has become so infected by capitalism, many people perversely link their personal happiness to how much wealth, power and respect they accumulate. When in reality these things cannot bring happiness.

Some believe they'll gain happiness when they find true love. "All I really want it to be happy. And to find a man that's mine, it would be so sweet". Really ? I think a mistake a lot of people make is thinking that falling in love is the magic solution. Love comes with its own set of issues and finding "Mr. Right" is no guarantee for happiness. Your happiness levels may increase but eventually they'll fall. Why? Because when all your happiness is dependent on another human being, their fallibility and ability to screw up, will eventually cause you misery. Loving yourself is what brings happiness and cause for others to love you

If happiness isn't found in wealth or finding true love, where can it be located? Religious people contend that true happiness is found in God. The trouble is most religious people are fixated with knowing their religion, rather than knowing God. So ironically most of them are miserable, repressed and jaded.

As far as I'm aware God does not specialise in delivering happiness packages to our doorsteps. Happiness is one of those things that God/whatever you choose to believe in, leaves us to be the custodian of.

Happiness eludes so many of us because we think that it will miraculously occur. Which is rubbish. Happiness doesn't happen by chance, it involves hard work. We must actively seek to cultivate an environment conducive to happiness. Our happiness is our responsibility or as Lincoln put it "most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be"

As happiness, like shoes, is something you can never have too much of, I'd love for you all to join me in my quest for more shoes, I mean happiness. With that aim in mind I'm going to share a very simplified version of my be happy project

"Be Happy"

Step 1
Define Happiness for yourself
At some point in our lives we have to define happiness for ourselves. Finding out,what makes you happy,if its a personal decision or if its dependent on fallible entities.

Step 2
Create a happiness principle and live by it.

My happiness principle is simply:

"Let Go. Hold On"

I believe life's nothing more than what you decide to let go of and what you choose to hold on to. Now everything in my life is placed into one of those two categories; "Let Go" or "Hold On". It's a way of cutting away the bad and cherishing the good.

I found this principle helpful as I'm the type of person that can (over) think themselves into a state of anxiety. Now when I'm feeling worried or fearful I ask myself "Are you going to let go of this thing or hold on to it?"

Step 3
Write your happiness commandments.

"Remember the past but do not dwell there, face the future where all our hopes stand" Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

"Be Kind"

"You are enough"

"Love continuously"

"Eat (more) ice cream without feeling guilty"

Don't starve yourself that plate of abacha

"Seek progress, not perfection"

"Embrace vulnerability, what makes us vulnerable makes us beautiful" Brené Brown

"Stop judging yourself and others"

"Live your dream and wear your passion"

"Forgive"

Since I'm still collecting ideas for my commandments I'd like to ask….

What would your happiness principle be?

And

What would your happiness commandments be?

Please share your ideas in the comment section because
a) I'm going to steal the ones that take my fancy
b) They'll be useful for anyone else that decides to join me on the "Be Happy" quest.

Love
Lui...

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