Be Happy. Now or Later?
Every minute you have the choice to be either happy now or happy later. Occasionally you choose not to be happy now. Why do you do this? What benefits do you obtain from postponing your happiness? Are the benefits worth it? Below are some of the reasons you tell yourself you cannot be happy now:
“It is embarrassing. Total strangers might think that I am weird.”
- All you need is your own approval. You have to live with yourself everyday; your own opinion is more important than the opinion of a person who might see you for only three seconds. Explore why you are so willing to betray yourself for the approval of a stranger. What do you hope to gain from this stranger by lying to him about your inner self?
“Right now friends and family are experiencing a tragic event, to be happy right now would be disrespectful.”
- Over-the-top laughter is inappropriate at a funeral, so why not explore other ways to express your inner joy. Focus your comments on your feelings of gratefulness and appreciation. Use a gentle smile, not a full toothy grin while you walk and greet people. Offer encouragement and hope to those around you. There are always socially appropriate ways to express your joy.
“I am at work right now, and a happy smiling person is not viewed as competent. I want respect and I want my coworkers to take me seriously.”
- It is a myth that happy people are not viewed as competent. Competence is a function of many factors including communication skills, appearance, knowledge and charisma. A joyful attitude can actually improve your ability to convey competence.
“I am going through a tough situation right now, being happy won’t help. I need to focus on solving my problems.”
- Every situation has positive aspects and negative aspects, including your present situation. A positive attitude could help you to see the positive aspects of the situation that you are dealing with right now. This change in perspective might add a creative jolt to your current thinking and assist you in solving your problems.
“I am trying to get things done and maximize productivity. Being happy will reduce my effectiveness.”
- It is possible to be both happy and productive at the same time. In fact, being happy and productive at the same time is ideal. During the course of your life you will spend more time striving for goals (often years) then actually achieving those goals (hours or days). Giving yourself permission to be happy only on the days that your goals have been achieved means that most of your life you will be unhappy. This is an unacceptable situation. Enjoying the process of achieving your goals is key to long-term happiness.
Determine why you are postponing your happiness and find the courage to smile today.
