Be Happy Now, Not Later

Have you ever said, “I just want to be happy”?

I hear this quite often in my coaching business as well as when I’m out and about, and I certainly have said these very words more than once over the years.

It’s as if joy somehow just disappears, vanishes into thin air, and one is left feeling quite the opposite, unhappy or down right miserable.

When something is invisible it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. You can’t see your breath unless it’s on a cold winter’s day, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t breathing.

Happiness isn’t any different. It may not be there in that moment, day, week, or year, but it’s still there waiting for you to accept it back into your life.

It’s easy to point the finger at situations, relationships, people, finances, jobs, God, the world, and so on to blame for your lack of joy, but it doesn’t change the situations or your happiness.

Remember the saying, “If one finger is pointing outward, there are three are pointing inward”.

It can be difficult to acknowledge that your beliefs and perceptions are responsible for your happiness or unhappiness.

How you choose to handle what doesn’t go your way or upsets you is solely up to you.

It can be a challenge to remain optimistic, let alone be happy with divorces and break-ups on the rise, devastating disasters and wars, day to day demands increasing, worries about finances and job cuts, religious and political uprisings, to name just a few.

Being pessimistic, as well as condemning and criticizing people and outer circumstances for your discontent won’t make you happier, and if it does, it only will be for a short while.

Is it really possible to feel a sense of inner happiness even when things occur that bring unwanted feelings and situations?

Yes, it is. Perhaps not always initially, but it can happen, and with more awareness, it can occur more times than not.

You don’t have to wait for later or for things to change before you can be happy; you can choose it right now. The question is, do you want to?

Some people aren’t even aware that they even have a choice in being joyful, and therefore might remain stuck in negative self-talk and thinking. This only perpetuates the unhappiness and stress.

I know this was the case for me. It took me awhile to figure out not only did I have a choice, but that joy was available for me to connect with at anytime.

When you surrender to the moment just as it is, you are inviting happiness in now, not later.

Accepting things as they are doesn’t mean they will remain that way forever, or that they can’t change or shift. What it means is you are no longer blaming or judging people or situations as being the cause of your unhappiness, and therefore allowing yourself the freedom to be happy now.

If you, or you know others, who aren’t interested in changing, adjusting, or elevating their mind-sets that bring about joy and possibilities, then it won’t happen. That is your or their decision and that’s fine.

If you choose to be joyful and peaceful right now, you are acknowledging that it’s an option and comes from within you, not outside of you.

You can be grateful for what’s in your life today, not tomorrow.

You can become a possibility thinker, not sinker.

You can be optimistic and believe that things can be different, not pessimistic and doubtful.

You can see the glass as full or overflowing, not empty or half full.

You can open your eyes and heart to the great mysteries in life and receive all it has to offer, not close them.

If you choose to take things for granted, be unhappy, negative and cynical, and close your eyes to God’s glory, then at least do so with consciousness.

Being happy now isn’t about being joyful all the time, it’s about acknowledging the present moments as they are and being aware that you have a choice of how your relationship is with it.

Don’t discount, judge, overlook, or by-pass what you feel as the cause of your unhappiness. Rather recognize what it is drawing your attention to, or away from.

Your happiness or unhappiness isn’t who you are; it’s a choice of how you will encounter yourself, others, and the here and now.

Will you be happy now or later?

The Insight Technique assists you in seeing how your attitude has everything to do with your happiness.