Do you consider yourself to be a happy person? Have you ever been as happy as you’ve wanted to be? Have you finally gotten yourself to a place where you had everything you were told would bring you happiness and felt that something was missing?
We all experience various challenges, but when we get together in social groups, everyone puts on his happy face and enjoys each other’s company. This often leads us to believe that most other people are relatively happy. Yet we are still striving to get there. Most of us attempt to find happiness by pursuing goals that are based on false promises and beliefs. We might believe that the cause of happiness lies in the achievement of a spouse and/or family, home-ownership, the perfect job, wealth, fame, exotic vacations, constant partying, etc. Yet no matter what activity or end goal we choose to pursue that we believe will bring us happiness, the feeling just doesn’t come…at least not long-term.
People tend to believe that others are happier than they are, yet more than one in ten people take anti-depressants [1]. Others that are depressed might refuse to take brain-altering medication. Still others are likely uncomfortable with the idea of seeing a professional about their problems. For instance, one might be too anxious to see a professional about his anxiety or too paranoid to believe his mental track record will be kept confidential, especially if his profession is of public service. And these are just the people who are extremely depressed! Then there are many people struggling due to physical ailments, relationships, time constraints, financial problems, etc. So how many people are truly happy? The answer appears to be, “relatively few.”
Why People Are Unhappy
Allow me to list many possible reasons for this. More than likely it is a combination of these:
- Many people are experiencing health problems, including weight issues, that make them physically uncomfortable or feeling badly about themselves.
- The medical and agricultural industries are breeding large cases of imbalanced gut bacteria within society, which, aside from other physical issues, results in a lack of serotonin and cortisol, causing depression and stress, respectively.
- Governments and corporations have contributed to the average employee being pinched for time and money, resulting in massive stress.
- Communication problems with loved ones often include controlling behavior and the need to live up to the expectations of others. Thus people do not live the lives of their choosing, and they often do not even ask themselves what they truly desire.
- Probably sometimes due to religious teachings, people tend to judge themselves harshly.
- Many people have become victims, and they choose to continue to see themselves as victims, thus digging themselves further into such a hole.
- Many people are led to believe that happiness comes in the afterlife, thus they don’t necessarily believe they can get there or deserve to get there within this lifetime.
- As humans, generally disconnected from our innate, creative spirit; we tend to see ourselves as separate from and less than other people, love, worthiness, power, higher consciousness, etc.
- Unexplained (subconscious) fear and anxiety represents either a small or large part of the experience of practically everyone.
- People feel they lack freedom.
- People feel a lack of direction and are uncomfortable with the unknown or the idea of change.
- Some people are uncomfortable with discovering the truth if it is beyond their accepted understanding of reality, as they subconsciously fear losing the very identity in which they have given themselves.
I have met only three people in my life whom I have perceived to be extremely happy people, and I have seen all three of them endure challenges in their lives. If you consider yourself to be truly, genuinely happy, for more than just a brief period of time, I would love to hear your story. Even so, it may just be a wonderful, long, temporary experience. Or perhaps you are one of the few who have managed to dig yourself out of the hole we have all found ourselves in, and have literally found love and happiness spurring from the core of your being, which is precisely where it lies.
Admittedly, happiness is a relative term. But based on my perception of it, I would say that most people on this planet are not happy…or perhaps they are happy in some aspects of their lives and not others. The few who have mastered their own minds, and thus, their life experience, do not tend to stick around very long. The purpose of this planet is to host growth, and the fastest way to grow is through challenge. Once you have embraced your challenges and finally come face to face with true happiness and peace, there is no reason for you to be here; unless of course, you have a desire to assist the growth of others who are still struggling.
What You Can Do
First I would like to point out that it’s OK to be unhappy. In fact, it’s normal! You are not alone! You are far more like others than you realize, even if your challenges are unique. So many people lately, especially teenagers who are undergoing unusual circumstances, often taking their own lives, believing that they are the only ones experiencing such extreme challenges, and consequently abandoning the very lessons that were meant to take them to their strongest, most invincible places.
Although times are tough, we are in such a wonderful time of potential in terms of transition. Everyone on this planet today is being given the opportunity to use his greatest challenge to transform himself and his experience to a higher level…to will himself out of any holes in which he has created in the past. There is currently much information available in various forms to help anyone who simply creates this desire and intent. We are all on this planet for the purpose of transforming ourselves into something greater, and the opportunities are ripe for such progress.
Never give up on happiness or transformation. Start with the belief—the knowing—that in a future time, your problems have already been resolved. Then listen for the answers and follow your natural intuitive feeling or guidance. Trust that all challenges are lessons. It is a prime time for everyone to make life and soul transformations, and this collective goal will assist everyone who has the desire to get there. We were clearly not born into a life of expected happiness. We were placed here with the optimal opportunities to meet with our challenges head on, and then to gradually transform ourselves and our experiences to a place of pure joy and bliss. Depending on how you see it, this transformation can be considered difficult or easy. It is difficult because it is different from your current perceptions. Be willing to change your perceptions and let go of every ideal in which you are holding onto, and you will find that the path to happiness is actually a piece of cake.
Sources:
[1] http://www.adaa.org/finding-help/treatment/medication
[2] http://www.naturalnewsblogs.com/gut-bacteria-imbalance-can-lead-depression-anxiety/
About the author
Vicki Luibrand is a hypnotherapist, certified by the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH), and has a Doctor of Divinity in Spiritual Healing Arts. She guides people to heal themselves both physically and mentally by finding and releasing buried emotions and external attachments within the subconscious mind. For more information, go to www.believeinhealth.biz.
