How many people do you know who have a reason for not being happy? Could the person looking back at you in the mirror be holding one of these beliefs?

If I only had a job that I liked... I’d be happy. If I had more creativity, I’d have better ideas to earn more money, then I’d be happy. If my parents weren’t so conservative and were more hip like my friends’ parents, I’d be happy. As long as I’m not in a fulfilling relationship, I won’t be happy. My neighbors are impossible and I’ll never be happy as long as I’m living next to them. My body is just not healthy enough for me to be happy.

Dr. Robert Holden, author of Happiness Now, says: “Happiness is already within us—there is nothing to pursue.” He also states that we’re always chasing something to make us happy and calls this malady, “destination addiction.” Holden says that we get so caught up in life that we forget to be happy and that if life gets too good, it will fail at some point.

I’m reminded of several clients that had the belief, “if I was too happy and if life got too good, something bad would happen—the other shoe would eventually fall.” During one recent session, we tracked that belief back, as always, to early childhood experiences.

As long as we are looking for something outside of ourselves to be happy, we will endure the lack of fulfillment, and continue chasing after the brass ring.

Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of Laughter Yoga suggests we laugh for no reason at all and when we laugh, be it simulated or genuine, the body benefits from it.

So when we laugh, we feel joy:
Just
Open
Yourself

When we embrace laughter and joyfulness, we become open, connected and happy—for no reason at all. The state of joy is omnipresent but our own negative programming has blocked us from allowing it to flow in our lives. Joy is a state of being, our essence, our birthright. When we allow joy to surge through us, regardless of the situation, we are connected to Life and to the Universe.

Could the person looking back at you in the mirror be holding one of these beliefs? I invite you to look inside for your source of happiness and the accompanying joy for one day, you just might get addicted.

Affirmation: Knowing my true nature of Love, Light, Harmony, and Joy, I feel full in each moment, regardless of the conditions in my day. Nothing touches that place within me that is at Peace.

Quote: It's never too late to be happy and a key is to give up destination addiction, to achieve happiness now!

Author's Bio: 

Alexandra Delis-Abrams, Ph.D.
Alexandra is President of ABC Feelings, an organization she founded to encourage communication of feelings. In addition, she is a transpersonal psychologist in Sun Valley, ID and adjunct faculty at Boise State University. VicToria Freudiger, is an associate at ABC Feelings where she works in marketing, sales and management for Dr. Abrams. She is also founder and publisher for Entry Way Marketing and Publishing http://www.entrywaymarketing.com and resides in Texas. Either author can be reached at 800.745.3170, ABC Feelings, Inc., http://www.abcfeelings.com Copyright June 2007