Do you know how to be happy? Recently I was on the phone, the person I was talking to said that she couldn’t wait for April to be over. I looked at the calendar and reminded her that it was only March 10th. She said with Easter and two birthday parties in April, she was just ready for the month to be over with. I asked her why she couldn’t enjoy these events and she said because there was just too much to do. I didn’t probe her any further because she tends to be an unhappy person. However, if I’m planning and paying for a party, I will enjoy it. However, my conversation with her lead me to the question of… Do you know how to be happy? Seriously, do you? When talking to people, I’ve noticed that a lot of adults are unhappy because they have lost their personal identity. Ask a married person what makes them happy and their answer will probably start with “We like…”, “My wife and I enjoy…”, or “The kids like to…” I know a lot of people like this and I remined them that I asked what makes them happy and not their family. Sadly, none of them know. They are so use to identifying as Luke’s wife, Taylor’s mom, and this company’s employee. However, those are just adjectives. Who were you before the marriage, kids, and job? Because that’s the person who’s not happy. That’s the voice you hearing telling you that there’s more to life and asking what you waiting on. When working on achieving and maintaining your happiness, you are going to make some people in your life unhappy. Some people are going to question your behavior and or call you selfish. Let them. Chances are, the people questioning your behavior benefit in your unhappiness, because you put their happiness before your own. Also, these people do not want you to be happy. They just want you to continue to cater to them. However, don’t let this guilt trap you. Once you become happy, your happiness will spread to and encourage the people who actually care about you.
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