Elements of Happiness #7: Happiness and Identity
This article is the seventh in a series that discusses the essential elements of happiness.
Who are you? What is your identity? What are your beliefs about you? Who you think you are is critical to your happiness. Are you a singer? Are you a dancer? Are you a man? In your opinion how does “a real man” behave?
The beliefs that you have about what behavior is appropriate to yourself largely determines what is possible for you. How smart are you? Do you think that you can figure out how to be happy no matter what? Beliefs about your identity must be addressed before you can fully manage your negative and positive beliefs about the external world.
To achieve your fullest potential in the achievement of happiness you will have to create and demonstrate a personal identity that is creative, determined, courageous and positive. If you have the belief that a real man does not smile, or that a real man does not dance, then you are at a serious disadvantage in your attempt to be completely happy. Smiling and dancing are two very effective ways of using your physiology to create happiness in your life. If your identity does not allow smiling and dancing then two main routes to happiness are immediately cut-off to you.
Are you lucky? Do things always work out for you? Are you willing to experiment? Having positive beliefs like these about yourself helps to ensure that your efforts to be happy will be successful. As an exercise, create a list of beliefs about yourself. Then identity which of your beliefs may be negatively affecting your pursuit of happiness; challenge those troublesome beliefs.
