I must confess, a big pregnant belly and hormones that are sky high and then valley low cause me to contemplate ‘life’ much more than usual. Not the simple things, but the big stuff – the ‘what is my purpose?’, ‘am I reaching my fullest?’, ‘can I do better?’. Then I either sulk about how I’m not reaching one of those metaphorical highs or take a long hard look at what’s happening in my life and what I can change. That’s not always fun.
Yeah for emotional journeys!
I’ve kinda come to the a conclusion that the illustrious ‘happiness’ goal is something that has to be worked at regularly. It’s not really a destination but a journey that requires a lot of maintenance (not daunting maintenance though because, after all, smiling counts :-)). I read somewhere that happiness is a state of mind, an attitude that we embrace and that we can even ‘rub off’ on others around us. What a nice thought!
Here’s what I’m buzzing about today:
1. Happiness as an action – choosing to be joyful in everyday moments is one of life’s greatest privileges. Gleening joy from someone else is an easy fix to a hum drum day, laughing babies are good for that!
2. Making someone else’s day – happiness rubs off, acts of kindness and generosity are the BEST mood boosters. Buying coffee for the person behind you (I was behind someone who once put a $20 bill in the barrista’s hand and said ‘for everyone behind me’ – brilliant, and I was personally smiling ear to ear not at the free coffee but at the emotional high), offering an out-of-the-blue compliment to a stranger, saying ‘good morning’ with a big smile at those walking by, giving an unexpected surprise smooch to your sweetie.
3. Feeling good is not the opposite of feeling bad – happiness and unhappiness aren’t opposite sides of a coin. I love that. Sometimes we’re floating somewhere in the middle because it’s just that sort of day. That’s okay too because life is life.
4. Moments of gratefulness are moments of recalling and recognizing happiness. A gracious mood is one of the most generous gifts that we can offer anyone. How great does it feel when someone expresses their gratitude for something small or big that I helped with? It’s especially awesome when it catches me off guard. Oh man, it’s a mile high feeling. To hand out happiness, just tell someone how much you appreciate them.
What do you think? True story? Or is the ‘pursuit of wholeness‘ far better than than the ‘pursuit of happiness’? PBS posted an article on how happiness is made up of pleasure, engagement and meaning (Martin Seligman calls this authentic happiness) and that it ‘involves both daily positive emotions and a global sense that life is worthwhile’. I’m going to try to do each one of the above today to see what happens.
PS Motherhood (in general), and the joy of having girls.
I hate to admit it, but I struggle with keeping a positive outlook. I do believe that being happy is a choice though – and I’ve been making a conscious choice over the last year or so to be more positive. Some days are better than others. But negativity is toxic. Just yesterday, I even challenged one of my co-workers to think of something happy from his day. (The poor guy is so unhappy at work that even his little kids know it) I think I’m going to have to make a little sign with #3 on it though…it really puts things in a different perspective. Thanks for the reminder to stay happy!
Beautiful picture of you and the girls! Loved this meaningful post :)