Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

A lot has been written about happiness—it is a cliché topic.

How can I feel truly happy?

I have spent quite some time looking for an answer to this simple but meaningful and deep question.

I used to be tired.

Tired of waiting to achieve certain dreams and goals that were supposed to grant and bring happiness.

I was truly exhausted of waiting for an unknown future to bring happiness, instead of feeling happy with the fullness of the present.

So I decided to start a journey where I stopped waiting for happiness and began to live it in the present moment.

One does not find the happy life, but makes it.

We are all on life’s journey—evolving and looking for the meaning of happiness.

I want to invite you to spark up the flame of a happy soul.

What is happiness?

Happiness accompanies the realization of our own purpose. It is the language of the soul. Happiness is an attitude that is felt inside of each person.

But how can we get happiness?

In today’s world where things go so fast—people do not seem to be happy or satisfied—because we expect to find happiness, solely and wholly, on material things that never seem to satisfy us.

Ask yourself, ” Do I feel happy? And if I don’t, why?”

Many will say, “I’m not happy because I need more health.”

Others may say, “I’m not happy because I don’t have enough money.”

Some others could say, “I am not happy because I’m not loved by anyone and I have nobody to love.”

All these reasons for not being happy are valid. If you think that when you get enough money you will be happy, or when you’re completely healthy you will be happy or that when you find someone who loves you, you will be happy—I’m afraid you will not.

If you think happiness comes from making or obtain certain things, when everything falls into place, I’m afraid you will never find it.

Find happiness and everything will fall into place.

Happiness is a choice not a result, and nothing will make you happy until you decide to be happy.

So, how do I choose to be happy? How can I be happy here and now?

Happiness is a state of mind. To be happy you have to start feeling happy. The secret of happiness is inside every human being.

I strongly invite you to follow these tips to help you cultivate happiness in every moment, every day.

These tips may look easy and simple—finding happiness is easy and simple.

1. Feel happy and joyful from the rising of the sun.

Early in the morning, when you wake up and open your eyes, feel happy—feel within you happiness and joy because, for one more day, you are blessed to see and breathe the fullness of life.

Everyday has its unique blessings.

Since I started practicing the habit of feeling happy and identifying my blessings, I realized I was automatically changing my mood—my day and the situations in it became positive because that is how I was feeling—happy and joyful.

If you start each day happy, it determines the way you live your day. Arise! Arise and shine!

2. Make a daily list of reasons about why you’re happy.

Being happy goes hand in hand with being grateful.

We all have some reason to feel happy and grateful. It may be, perhaps, because we have a job, because we have a trustworthy friend, because we have a family that take cares of us,or maybe for our gifts and talents.

We all have something to feel happy about. Every day, at a time you feel calm and quiet, make a list of 10 things for which you feel happy. While you write them, feel joy and gratitude for your blessings.

You already have enough to live a happy life.

3. Find and do what makes you happy.

If we want to be happy and to feel the happiness during the day, we have to do things that make our soul feel happy.

If you still don’t know, ask yourself, “What makes me feel joyful and happy?”

Perhaps it’s writing, maybe it’s painting or listening to music. For some people sports make them happy, others prefer to sing and dance and for others it’s work.

Find what fills your heart with happiness and do it, practice it, make it.

Fulfilling your special calling brings the greatest happiness.

4. Happiness is not getting what we want, it is to appreciate what we already have.

Remember the words and the teachings of the greatest enlightened masters of the past who taught us that feelings are the greatest creative power in the whole universe.

“Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing our, I smile.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

What we feel, it is what we attract into our lives. So if at this moment you’re having hard times, difficulties, economic problems or health problems, do not focus on the negative and redirect your energy into things and activities that make you feel happy and joyful at present moment.

The feeling of happiness, joy and gratitude in your heart affects the whole Universe—it comes back to you with an avalanche of situations that will make you feel happier and more grateful.

5. Find harmony and balance to find happiness.

In order to maintain balance in our life, we must explore both the spiritual and the material sides.

If we totally incline ourselves to the spiritual side and we forget about the material side, we are turning our back to the fact that we are on earth to learn and evolve. And if we turn fully into the material aspects of life and forget about spirituality, we are ignoring the seeking of our inner-self and the awareness that connects us to our higher-self.

Happiness lies between the spiritual and material realms—we find it in the balance.

We find happiness by looking for our inner wisdom and light but with our feet on the ground, in the here and now.

Happiness is your birthright. By connecting with yourself, setting intentions to be happy and surrendering to the natural flow of life, you can breathe a sigh of relief, trusting and knowing that everything is unfolding with perfect, divine timing.

Start the journey. Be happy here and now.

~

Relephant bonus:

Relephant read:

The 5-Step Formula to Illegal Amounts of Happiness.

~

Author: Gianfranco Di Vassi

Editor: Ashleigh Hitchcock

Photo: flickr