Creating Happiness
What does happiness mean to you? How do you achieve happiness? What ways do you measure whether you’re happy or not?
I used to attach happiness to moments and achievements – graduating college, being accepted in graduate school, getting my dissertation published in a psychology journal, having our first child, and on and on. Today, I realize that happiness means finding fulfillment in what is rather than sulking in what is not. Happiness lies in the feeling of an experience rather than the ultimate outcome that is intended.
Tal Ben–Shahar defines happiness in his book Happier as, “the overall experience of pleasure and meaning.”
In other words, happiness lies in experiencing something that brings joy and humbles our hearts. Happy moments can definitely come with those big achievements, and yet they don’t last forever. It’s just like thinking about hardships – they don’t last forever (thank goodness) and they also strengthen our resilience.
The world seems heavy still and I am in need of some relief. I have been intentional around creating moments of joy throughout each day instead of waiting for the violence and hate to be over. I have no control over others around me, but what I do have control over is my reactions, my feelings, my intent to thread happiness within my days.
You might be asking, “But Bev… how do I seek happiness when it feels really heavy around us?” I’m so glad you asked!
I have 3 things that I have been doing lately that I find really helpful to rinse and repeat:
Step 1: Ground myself in God’s Word // God’ truth in the Bible is permanent and can never be revised, updated or edited. When I feel lost, confused or overwhelmed, the Bible offers me the wisdom that is unshakable. It is the weapon of the Spirit and can defeat any thought, person or circumstance that will ever come my way.
“For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires.” – Hebrews 4:12
Step 2: Surrender all fears of earthly things (including people) // When I feel nervous, anxious, threatened, competitive or even prideful, I know it’s an indicator for me to surrender. Surrender my thoughts, feelings, actions to God. The only fear God desires is to fear Him. When I fear God, it means I will stand in awe of His glory and worship Him and Him only. When I fear the Lord, there is no room to fear any other person, thing or even myself!
“All who fear the Lord will hate evil.” – Proverbs 8:13
Step 3: Pick a happy place or activity and DO IT // There is always at least one opportunity in each day to find something I love to do or a place I love to be. I give myself permission (talking to the over-productive Bev here) and just do it! It might last an hour, it might last 5 minutes. The time length means nothing to me compared to whether I took action on doing something that brings me joy or not.
I share this with you to encourage you to stop waiting for THE big moment. Take action RIGHT NOW to create a meaningful experience that fulfills you. If you wait until the perfect time or place or day, you will have waited for too long!
Light + Love,
Bev
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