WHAT MAKES FOR 'TRUE HAPPINESS'?

Recently - on a lunch break, during one of those fleeting moments in a line up, waiting for my turn, I shared a few moments with a woman, who told me she had traveled all over the world.

She was wearing fashionable clothes, and had a tall, erect, toned and fit body. Her long blond hair was silky and healthy. She and her husband, of 20 years, were planning a trip down to the Bahamas to Columbus Isle over Christmas.

I thought she had the ideal life, one that I wouldn't mind having. But one thing seemed out of place in the picture. The expression on her face didn't match the ideal life she described. There seemed to be no joy in her eyes. In an effort to discover why, I said: "You don't seem to have many worries in your life."

She agreed, she didn't have a thing to worry about. They were both in excellent health. They lived a carefree existence, traveling in their RV all over North America.

She had been an only child and had inherited considerable wealth. Both sets of parents had passed on, so they were free from caring for seniors. They had no children, so they were not under any family obligations. She seemed to be an accomplished conversationalist, laughing easily as she talked.

When she wasn't talking, however, her face fell into a vacant, joyless stillness that somehow alarmed me.

I had only a short time to connect with her, and then she walked out of my life - disappeared down the street into her own world again.

However, the image of those lifeless, vacant eyes continues to haunt me.

I started wondering: What is truly "Being Happy'? Can we really be happy, or are we just kidding ourselves? It's so easy to get caught up in the troubles of life: health, marital and family problems, even worries about the weather and politics affect us. I think that animals, with their ability to be truly present - living in the moment, can remind us how to live.

Beyond our immediate desires, will acquiring more "stuff," add any more joy to our lives?

1. Experiment to find out what makes you happy.
   • You may find you don't even know what makes you 'happy' anymore.
   • If that's the case, try out different things, including some you've never done before.
   • The answers just might surprise you.
   
   
2. Focus on Gratitude - find things to appreciate each day
   
   
3. Take time to 'Savor life'.
   
   
4. Cut down on the rushing from one thing to the next.
   
   
5. Avoid watching and reading depressing news.
   
   
6. Being selective about the information you expose yourself to, can have an incredible impact on your level of personal 'happiness'.
   
   
7. Laugh now!
   • When you're in the middle of a mess, look around you and realize the absurdity of the moment.
   • In a year from now, chances are, you won't even remember it.
   • So choose the higher vibration and enjoy yourself now!
   
   

Feeling happy not only protects the body from stressors that can lead to disease, it can even boost the immune system's ability to fight off a virus.

For more on 'Happiness', you may want to read my review of Marci Shimoff's book   Happy For No Reason.

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