Health and Safety
Pursuing happiness: It’s tempting to reach for something just out of reach
By the Employee Assistance Program
The “pursuit of happiness” is one of the longstanding inalienable rights we enjoy in this country, as espoused by the Declaration of Independence. For hundreds of years, Americans have sought to improve their situations and move forward in as many life realms as possible.
However, insisting on attaining happiness can come with risks. If you’re yearning for happiness, it automatically signifies that you’re not happy right now. It means that your happiness exists at some uncertain point in the future. Is this the smartest way to live?
Modern life might just call for a new perspective — an updated mindset — where happiness is concerned.
Happiness is a mindset and a change in mindset may help you perceive more happiness. Create your own vision for success, make a plan, stay focused on your destination, and surround yourself with inspiration along the way! This shift in focus will help foster a feeling of happiness.
There’s little value in aiming at an idealized, vague vision of happiness “out there.” Since you can’t really quantify it, you’ll never know whether you’ve attained it.
Too often we imagine that there’s something just beyond our reach that could bring us happiness: a better relationship, better finances, or a thinner waist. However, everything you need to be happy is already within you. Build on that knowledge to expand your happiness.
Instead of seeking comforts, immerse yourself in engaging activities that have meaning for you — whether they’re creative, social, athletic, or professional. When you’re engrossed in a compelling challenge, or when the artist inside you becomes one with the day’s creative task, you’ll lose track of time and experience an unconscious (and deeply satisfying) state of flow. Many define happiness this way.
Don’t compare yourself to others. You’re not competing against other people; you’re supposed to be exactly where you are. Follow your own path without self-criticism, and share your dreams only with people who support your unique vision of success.
The older you get, the more you’ll look back and realize that external circumstances didn’t much matter or determine your happiness. It’s your thoughts that create your reality, and you’re the one in charge of your own happiness.