The Problem with Being Happy!

gopimenon June 12th, 2009

Hi There,

I hope today’s title got your attention!  Yes there is a problem arising from learning to make happy living a habit!  We tend to lose our motivation to achieve anything.  It is like we are at the beach lounging on a deckchair or lying on a hammock slung between two swaying coconut palms, with a fine breeze caressing you; just relaxing and daydreaming and dozing off.  We are happy and at peace with the world.  We don’t feel much like getting up and doing something!

    That is how we will feel when we have learnt to control our thoughts and are balanced in our mind – we feel calm and at ease and lazy in a nice way and have no motivation to do anything much.   This is where Happiness Enhancers become vital!   What is a Happiness Enhancer?   As I mentioned in a previous post, a happiness enhancer is anything that increases or intensifies our happiness.   It can only increase the happiness that you already have;  if you are unhappy in mind then it cannot be of much help.  A happiness enhancer can be any of a hundred different things and vary from person to person.   An example will clarify better:

    EXAMPLE:  Let us take the case of a small family consisting of a father, mother and 3 children.  They have a comfortable income and they communicate well with each other and can be considered to be a happy family.   One day while watching the Travel Channel, the children are excited at seeing Disneyland.   The parents then decide that they want to take the kids to Disneyland – it becomes one of their goals!   So they excitedly plan, save some money and in due course of time take the kids on a holiday to Disneyland!   That is an example of a Happiness Enhancer – the goal or purpose of letting the kids enjoy Disneyland gives the parents new motivation, new excitement and enthusiasm.

      NOTE:  It is not that the family was unhappy to start with.  They were already happy;  not making the trip to Disneyland would not make them unhappy;  but going on the holiday would enhance or increase their happiness by giving them new adventures, experiences and new memories.

      I can hear some of you asking ” Why call it a Happiness Enhancer?  Why not just say anything that makes us happy?”   That is the mistake most people make – they pursue happiness, thinking it is out there!   They chase the money, the success, the relationships, the luxuries, etc. hoping those things will give them happiness.  However those things by themselves cannot give happiness unless we have learnt to control our own mind and choose our thoughts!

        Once we have learnt to be happy and at peace within ourselves, no matter what the outward circumstances, then we can go after the Happiness Enhancers with all our heart and all our soul and thus increase our happiness!

          It is by not knowing this that many rich and successful people become unhappy enough to commit suicide!   It is not true that wealth made them unhappy as many `teachers’ would have us believe.   They were unhappy  because they did not learn the happiness habit first.    Having money or being wealthy and famous need NOT make you unhappy!

            If you have learnt the happiness habit I am promoting in this blog, your circumstances will not be the reason for your unhappiness or happiness.   As you control your mind and learn the art of happy living, you can then go all out to increase the happiness you already have by using Happiness Enhancers to motivate you further!

              Let me list some of the more common major Happiness Enhancers:

            1. Money: This is one of the most powerful of happiness enhancers.  Money has the power to create whatever we can think of on the physical plane.  It can build houses, schools, factories;  it can buy cars, jewellery, food, holidays; it can do charitable work; it can send up satellites; it can help the sick etc. etc.
            2. Health: Being healthy and fit can enhance your happiness and help you enjoy life!
            3. Purpose: This is another very fulfilling happiness enhancer.   This is what drives the inventor, the entrepreneur, the athlete, the community … etc.   Without purpose you have no will to live.  That is why many retirees decline and die soon after they stop working – because they have nothing to look forward to; only death!  If they have new hobbies, or other things such as an online blog to keep them occupied, then their happiness would be enhanced.
            4. Other Happiness Enhancers: There are innumerable happiness enhancers; because people are different!  Edison found happiness in invention, Donald Trump finds happiness in real estate, Lincoln found his happiness in giving justice and equality to his people, Bill Gates finds happiness in his charities, Branson in maverick businesses, Hefner in bringing sex out of the closet,  Ferrari in making superlative cars, Jay Leno in buying them etc., etc.

                5. To be continued….

                3 Responses to “The Problem with Being Happy!”

                1. # How I Make $300 a Day Onlineon 18 Jun 2009 at 5:08 am

                  Hey, great post, really well written. You should blog more about this.

                2. # DailyHappyLiving.com » Blog Archive » Happiness 102: Happiness Enhancers!on 23 Aug 2009 at 1:50 pm

                  [...] have touched on this subject earlier under the post entitled ‘The Problem with Being Happy’ but it is important enough a topic to revisit!  To [...]

                3. # DailyHappyLiving.com » Blog Archive » Happy Living – The Next Phase!on 21 Nov 2009 at 11:20 pm

                  [...] namely, the lack of motivation to achieve!  I explored this idea a little in an earlier post ‘The Problem With Being Happy‘.  When we are habitually happy, we feel calm and at ease and lazy in a nice way and [...]

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