If you knew the true definition of happiness, you would find that it’s not exactly what you’re looking for. Happy means to have good fortune or advantageous circumstances. When you consider what that truly means, you are able to realize just how fortunate you are. What most of us are looking for is the feeling associated with receiving the outcome of those circumstances not recognizing that we can tap into that same emotion at any given time.
It’s called gratitude.
Gratitude is good will or thankfulness. It is to acknowledge that something is pleasing to you. At some age, adults tend to lose their wonder; colors aren’t as vibrant and the simple things in life appear to be dull and monotonous. The ironic reality is that those same adults can find immense value in those same mundane things if they no longer have them. Gratitude is a portal for feel-good hormones like serotonin and dopamine; when we express appreciation, our brain responds sending warm and fuzzy feelings to our physical body. It even has the ability to make us smile a bit more or produce tears of joy. Writing this article alone is producing that very same effect; my heart has opened up creating a spacious, almost airy sensation making me feel lighter and less tense.
For so long, the experience we have called happiness is actually gratitude.
Gratitude is a response that some have to dig to find and revive it. Buried deep within or just at the surface of our heart and lips, there is this power to express praise and pleasure. Embedded in our soul and DNA is the capacity to rejoice with a spirit filled with thankfulness. Sometimes it gets covered up from circumstances and rough patches along the journey. The beauty in this is that although it may be covered up, it never leaves. It is always there. Gratitude is always available, desiring to be awakened.
Don’t look for happiness so much...start looking for moments to employ your gratitude.
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LifeClub Members, be sure to check out our upcoming course on Happiness. Not a Member? Join the Club here. -- This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.