Making Yourself Happy

Being HAPPY is a feeling or showing pleasure or contentment

Are you happy?

Do you want to be happy?

Unfortunately, many of us do not know how to be happy or find pleasure in what we do or even understand what it means to be contented with one's life...  Why is this?  The problem is that OUR SOCIETY is based upon being successful and having more of whatever it is that you have...  this latter point revolves around GREED.

GREED, on the surface of the concept, if necessary and needed if our society and economy is going to grow...  but how much GREED is acceptable?  And, therein lies our problem because we do not have an acceptable level of GREED.  If you can acquire it, you should be allowed to have it.

In the 1960's when I was a teenager, companies were willing to sell a lot of profit and make a small but reasonable profit...  but, as I got older that concept changed to the point that companies began selling a little and making as much of a profit as they could.  In fact, some companies build products that will need to be replaced in 3-5 years so that they can increase their GREED.

So...

how do you find or acquire happiness?

how do you find contentment?

Some people believe that one finds happiness in the following ways:

1. eat healthy
2. exercise
3. treat yourself well
4. break from social media
5. go to a movie
6. get out and explore
7. take photos of things
8. write it all down
9. declutter your life/home

My list is a little different:

1. understand that stress is in your life
2. identify that stress
3. explore ways to manage that stress
4. accept your life as it is and not what it should be
5. seek to eliminate your debt
6. try to live debt free
7. build your self esteem (not always that easy)
8. be honest with yourself and others
9. keep yourself busy
10. enjoy friendship if you want

At 74 years of age, my attitude is different than it was years ago even though my personality has change very little or not at all...  so, I am the same person I always was...  but, being retired has helped me eliminate the stress in my life.  I never did a very good job of managing my stress and it cost me a heart attack at the age of 60.  I am debt free and while I use a credit card, I charge only that money that I can pay off by the end of the month.  I have decided to eat healthy and try and exercise more often than not to which I am not always successful.  My biggest obstacle was accepting my life as it was and not as I wished it was or other people thought it should be.  I a still working on my self esteem but as I avoid other's influence on me, it is getting better.  I like to write and I am constantly putting my thoughts down on paper...  My hobby is maintaining blogs and writing novels.  I don't care if people read what I write or blog because it is done simply to give me something to do...  

It took me a lifetime to get here.

Some never find this balance while other find it many years earlier.

Start now to prepare yourself and begin this transition...  in the long run, you will be much better off...  at least, this is what I have discovered...

GOOD LUCK!!!