– And Adventure is How I Stay Happy –

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Happiness is my purpose in life. There is nothing more important; I put my happiness first. The reason it’s a priority is because happiness is converted into good energy that I share with all the other people in my world. It rubs off on the people around me and makes them happy, too. I give my love, my enthusiasm, my good energy to everyone that will take it.

I know when I say “I put my happiness first” that it sounds selfish, but it’s not. It’s only selfish if I hoard it, if I keep that happiness to myself. If I neglect the people around me… if I am hurting someone in my pursuit of happiness, then I’m doing it wrong.  But if I cultivate happiness and harvest it, and then scatter it on a world that needs it badly, I am being selfless with my joy and well-being. And it all starts with ME being happy.

Experiment in Strzelin

You should see how the people in my new life respond to the energy I share – to the love I give out freely. I invite you to witness their collective reaction to the smiles and enthusiasm for life I share on a daily basis. You would see that it’s contagious. It literally makes my world a better place. And it starts with me being happy. I can’t do it otherwise.

I choose to be happy because it feels good. Things taste better, sweeter… the sun shines brighter when I’m happy. When I share it, I make my world a better place. That good energy benefits me and everyone else. I smile and people smile back (most of them do). Sometimes I wave at kids and they wave back. Shopkeepers and I engage in pleasant conversation and it fosters feelings of happiness. Sometimes it’s just making eye contact and smiling through the windows of people’s souls… a powerful application of love that pays immediate dividends.

It is not theory – it is fact. And it’s great fun to experiment with it. A subtle application of happiness is best for most people, though; no need for animation, no benefit from forcing it. Be mindful the next time you’re in a good mood. Smile at the cashier, be kind to the attendant; do it on purpose. Share your good energy and measure it’s impact. It’s empowering to feel your happiness make the world a better place. Not the whole wide world, but your little universe will change for the better.

Happiness is Most Important

Nothing is more important than feeling happy. It seems like everything anybody does is in the name of happiness. The things we buy, the things we work for, the things we do… all for the sake of our happiness or for the happiness of others. One of the three fundamental rights upon which America was founded was the right to pursue happiness; right up there behind liberty and life itself.

Experiencing happiness is important for our emotional and physical health. A stronger sense of happiness and wellbeing has been shown to lead to better relationships, increase social connection, and enhance physical health. People who live with less stress lead longer lives… sadness and depression kills. It is undeniably important to be happy.

People want to be happy… and most are open to good ideas for living happier lives. We look for stories about change and growth and progress that resonate with us, that we can customize to our circumstances, that we can make work for us. Not only business but success in life. Everyone is interested in more happiness.

Happy is Not Simple

People remind me that it’s not always easy to be happy. I know that; I’ve ridden the rapids of Life and almost drowned a time or two. The pain of loss can be overwhelming and nothing can be done to avoid tough times. We can lose our jobs, our health, a loved one… and being happy during those dark days is impossible. I know too well that being happy is not simple or easy.

A person in a problematic stretch can wonder if things will ever get better. One day passes without relief, and the next day and the next… and he begins to believe that things will never change. Those thoughts affect his mood, his motivation, his mind.

Just as believing in happiness does for the person who knows things WILL change. Maybe not today or tomorrow… but sooner or later, things will change for the better. He begins to pay attention, begins to look for an opportunity. The looking itself becomes a healing and energizing activity. Even though the situation remains the same, he FEELS better and begins to change his mind about the life ahead of him. Rather than be down about the current situation, he is lifted up by his attitude and the belief that something better is coming.

Our Purpose Changes

The most important thing is to have a purpose in life… a reason to live.  I’m not going to give you eight or nine or 13 reasons to be happy. I’ll give you one: to live the best you can every day you wake up.

In my experience, we don’t have just one single purpose in life. They change over time. When I was young, my purpose was to build a happy family. I determined that to provide for a happy family’s material needs, I needed a good job. And to get a good job, I needed a good education. So getting a good education became one of my first meaningful purposes in life. When I met that goal, the new purpose was to find good employment. Later, it became to find a woman that could help me build a family. But the MAIN goal in my life was to be happy.

Along the way, I set and achieved other goals… milestones on the path to happiness.

• Get educated and get a job – check.
• Find a mate and settle down – check.
• Have children and raise a family… check.

Goals come and go; some are achieved and others are not. But the goal of being happy is always there.

In the middle part of my life, all my goals had been realized. I had a great job making plenty of money to support my family in good style. I enjoyed the life I had built and found new goals along the way. But many of the things that had been driving purposes in my life had morphed into responsibilities… and lacked the spark they’d had before. Even life itself; it’s so easy to lose the zest for life when we lose sight of our purpose. Most of us need something more.

Keep Life Lively with Adventure

Maybe not ‘more’… that seems like the wrong word.

Maybe ‘spark’ is the word. “Spark” is a term often used by individuals regarding the feeling of love, infatuation, excitement, and intensity often felt in the beginning of a relationship. But it’s not just love; every valid purpose has that ‘spark’ that makes it special. And when it fades – which happens naturally – the purpose changes a little bit. It loses energy and the ability to excite us. Even life can get boring if we’re not careful to keep it ‘sparked’.

Adventure is How We Stay Happy

That is why we need adventures in our lives. They give us purpose beyond the requirements of life. The simple act of daydreaming about potential adventures is invigorating, and our day-to-day lives are a little more exciting when we start planning an adventure. Every day – even before the adventure starts – has more meaning when we’re preparing for something unusual and exciting in our lives. That’s why I’m always thinking of something else to do; that spark gives me energy and contributes to my happiness… and there is nothing more important to me.

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