July 4, 2011 Happiness Newsletter
Don't follow the herd.
Happy Independence Day!
By Lionel Ketchian
Have you ever felt unhappy? Do you like the way it feels? Is feeling unhappy worth it?
Unhappiness, just like happiness, is a decision you make. Sure unhappiness is a result of your moods, and state of mind. Unhappiness is a feeling inside you, isn't it? You tell yourself it is caused by what you experience. What if I told you that you make yourself unhappy? Yes, you! How would that make you feel? If unhappiness is under your control then happiness is under your control as well. So it should make you feel great.
When you choose unhappiness you give people and circumstances power and control over you. What you're doing when you're unhappy is giving your power away.
Benjamin Franklin said: "Is there anything men take more pains about than to render themselves unhappy?" You are allowing situations to be more important than the power of control you have within yourself.
Have you ever felt that things seemed tough? A possible reason for this is that you are being too tough on yourself. Maybe what you need to do is lighten up. This could be one of the reasons you are experiencing unhappiness.
Thomas Jefferson believed in happiness so much that he said: "The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate objective of good government."
Thomas Jefferson, who lived from 1743 to 1826, said, "Our greatest happiness... does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits." He certainly understood happiness well. His statement proves his understanding of the subject.
What is happiness? Happiness is an inner state of well being. It is a state of well being that enables you to profit from your highest: thoughts, wisdom, intelligence, common sense, emotions, health, and spiritual values.
Happiness is a positive state of mind, and in many ways happiness cannot be defined because it is an individual reality. Happiness is a state of mental health. Happiness is a state of wealth. Happiness grants you the capacity to satisfy your desires.
The Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11, and June 28, 1776. It is our nation's most cherished symbol of liberty. The following is a well known excerpt from the Constitution: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Make THE HAPPINESS DECISION! Decide on BEING HAPPY right now and you get a 100% return on your investment. That is a good return, especially the way investments are right now. Life has meaning and happiness only when you decide it does. No one else can decide this for you; the decision is yours alone.
What are you waiting for? YES, YOU! You live your life doing things so you can find happiness. Why not decide to be happy right now? Are you waiting for someone to create this happiness for you? If you have not decided to be happy right now, then you are waiting for something to make you happy, right? Why wait? Has waiting for happiness worked for you this far in your life? Will happiness be better or more rewarding if you wait?
Every day you don't make THE HAPPINESS DECISION is another day that you are NOT HAPPY and that day is gone and lost forever. Happiness is not only what you want, it's what you need. THE HAPPINESS DECISION is a strategy for living well. It will keep you on the right track. You can bet your unhappiness on it.
Thomas Jefferson said, "Happiness is not being pained in body or troubled in mind." By making your Declaration of Happiness you will be stating your independence. If you are unhappy, at the present time, then you are dependent on other people and situations to make you happy. Break free of those chains; proclaim your independence from dependence. Don't be dependent on anything to make you happy.
As Robert Louis Stevenson said, "The habit of being happy enables one to be freed, or largely freed, from the domination of outward conditions."
What is ultimate power? It is the power you have over yourself. It is the power of the force of your happiness to transform your life. It has a strength that carries you to your destination.
We need a new revolution, an evolution within ourselves. John Locke said, "The necessity of pursuing true happiness is the foundation of our liberty." We must proclaim a new Independence Day.
Today, join the Proud, the Few, the Happy! Give up your dependence on happiness coming from outside sources. You can only find happiness in yourself. Happiness is a decision only you can make.
Join the Happiness Revolution! Exercise Your Unalienable Rights and Make Happiness Your Declaration of Independence.
Happiness is contagious ... become a carrier, proclaim your Independence.
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