April 12th 2010 - Make Happiness Your First Priority

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence. - Aristotle

What does it take to be happy? Nothing more than the desire and intent. Why does it seem so hard to maintain happiness? Because we believe there are other requirements. When we believe that there are obstacles between us and happiness, we make it so. We think we need money to be happy. We think we need a certain person in our life to be happy. We think we need a certain brand of car to make us happy. All hogwash. It is those imagined obstacles to happiness that are keeping us from it. All it takes to increase our level of happiness is practice, just like anything else. We need to build our happiness muscles.

If we make happiness our primary goal, and release our false perception that we need any "thing" prior to being happy, then we can build a foundation of happiness that can never be taken from us. Happiness is not a "thing," so why should we need any "thing" prior to having it? When our foundation of happiness is strong, we can build anything we want on top of it.

Happiness and wealth, for example, are two different destinations. I strongly believe that people who pursue wealth before happiness are taking themselves for a ride. I highly recommend making happiness the first destination. When you build a foundation of happiness, everything else you need, including money, will come easier, because you will be going with the flow of life, instead of struggling against it. Happiness will make balanced effort, but happiness won't accept struggling, being worn out or miserable for very long. If you make wealth the first destination, you may not find happiness there when you arrive (if you ever do), or the happiness that comes with wealth may be short-lived. You also may inadvertently trade away your happiness in your struggle to stay wealthy.

I have nothing against wealth, but my point is that wealth without happiness is worthless. Better to learn how to be happy first. You may find that your values about wealth and what to do with your money will be reshaped, as your base level of happiness rises.

Make happiness first. It's smooth sailing from there.

All Smiles,
Alan :)

P.S. I'm still working on my foundation of happiness, but I understand now that the reason it needs work is because I set too many other priorities before it. I feel it is important for me to let the reader understand that I am not perfect, but that does not mean that I am not qualified to speak on the subject. People often reach a point of clarity, before they reach the goal that's been clarified. Yes, we have to make a living, but we also have to make a life. Make yours a happy one. :)