We are responsible for creating our own happiness. Getting married to someone so you can be happy or saying “We’re so right for each other, she makes me happy” is not the path to happiness. Well, what happens when they don’t make you happy? What do you do then? Your happiness should never be contingent on the actions of another person. You choose to be happy and you choose to be mad, and that brings us to the fourth post in this series called Finding Happiness where we look at the fourth element of happiness.
ELEMENT 4: Don’t Wait for Somebody or Someday
Ecclesiastes 11:4 (TLB) – If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.
I’ve taken nearly twenty mission trips during my ministry years (and there are more trips to come). Anyway, I remember early on in ministry that I would do a lot of planning for the trips to make sure they were successful, and then I actually go on the trip, and while on the trip I’m pre-occupied with thinking about the next trip. I couldn’t relax and enjoy the moment. What I have had to learn to do is be present in the moment. I have literally had to train my mind to be present and enjoy the moment and the conversations I am currently in. For me (and maybe for you too) this has become a discipline I need to continually develop. I share with my close friends that I struggle with this “someday/somebody” syndrome and that I need to find enjoyment in being in the moment. I can do that, be in the moment, I find that life is less stressful and the people around me experience my presence in a positive way when I am present with them at the moment.
Let’s Talk
Do the people in your life experience you in a negative way? Do they say things like; “When you’re here you’re not really here.” Let’s talk about this, give me a call or email to set up a session with me.
