Inside Happiness

March 12, 2008
BE HAPPY ZONE
By Lionel Ketchian

You have probably heard that happiness is an inside job. It is, so let's take a look at how it appears from the inside out. Let's leave the world of old cars and new cars, big houses and small ones and even having enough money. Let's look at what is inside a happy person. A happy person must concern themselves with all these things I mentioned, as well as the problems that go along with them.

A happy person is completely in touch with their world, because they are looking at the moment with the eyes of peace and contentment. Does this mean that they are happy with everything that is happening to them and around them? No, they are not necessarily in agreement with what is happening. They are in harmony with the present moment, whatever it brings. They are completely in touch with reality and that includes all the good things as well as all the so-called bad things.

A happy person understands the flow of life and joins in the rhythm of life. In any rhythm, you have ups and downs, it is a part of the natural order of things. Many people think that a happy person ignores the bad things that happen in life. The truth is, a happy person incorporates and accepts things in this moment. Being happy enables them to consider changing the things that they have the power to change, because they are not complaining about and resisting the things they don't like.

Being happy enables them to be clear-minded regarding the choices they may uncover while happy. They have the power to choose what they want to do about the situations or problems they must face. If we went inside your home, we would not expect to see garbage sitting in your living room. The same is true inside the happy person. Why would they leave garbage lying around contaminating their interior? They would not allow junk, or negative thoughts to infect and poison their inner environment.

As you can see, if we have a pest-ridden, infectious interior than we cannot control the contagious epidemic that will prevail. Furthermore, the interior will affect how you view the exterior. How do we see the good in life if we look at it through the bad? As soon as we look for more good, it is experienced as bad. As a result of how we are processing the information, it becomes impossible to be aware of the good.

Even my definition of happiness contains the idea that happiness is within us. My definition is: Happiness is an inner state of well being that enables you to profit from your highest: thoughts, wisdom, intelligence, common sense, emotions, health, and spiritual values in your life.

Happiness is a rational, clear-minded wisdom that can change any situation into a better one, because of the power of making good choices. The situation is not as important as the way we interpret and process the situation. A happy person's response to the situation is the best possible readiness in that moment.

Look for the good through the eyes of happiness and you will see love. When we have happiness on the inside, our view of people changes for the better. When that happens, you may be surprised how much better people seem to be without doing anything more than controlling your own happiness. People respond to you differently, they sense something is authentic about you. It is almost as if they can see that you have control of yourself and are happy. John Sutherland Bonnell said: "Not only is there a right to be happy, there is a duty to be happy. So much sadness exists in the world that we are all under obligation to contribute as much joy as lies within our powers."

We all want to change the world for the better. Happy people have found that by changing themselves, they can promote real change. By cleaning house inside of themselves, happy people accomplish their goal more effectively. Real change comes from the inside. We all want to live in a happier world. We can do that for ourselves any time we want, if we begin in the right place…inside ourselves.

Marcus Aurelius advised us: "Very little is needed to make life happy. It is all within yourself, in your way of thinking."

Lionel Ketchian is the founder of the Happiness Club and can be reached at PrintLRK@aol.com. The website is www.HappinessClub.com.