Happiness Is The Way!

BE HAPPY ZONE
By Lionel Ketchian

You're driving down the highway or you're stuck in traffic. You're not happy; you're thinking about something that is really bothering you … and you don't know what to do about it. Maybe you just had a fight with someone. You have a problem, and you can't seem to find the solution. Things are not making you happy. The bumper to bumper traffic is not making you happy. People certainly are not making you happy. So how can you be happy? Can life make you happy? Can you change the situation enough so you can make yourself happy?

Will you ever "find" happiness? The answer is NO! You will never find IT, you have to become IT! There is no way to happiness; happiness is the way! Is it possible to be happy? The answer is YES! Here is another question for you. Is it possible to be happy all the time? I know you are probably thinking that is impossible. You're right, but that only goes for you. In life, you can be right or you can be happy. Which one have you been choosing? The good news is you only need to be happy.

I've been happy for over 18 years now, and things have been great; I'm not saying I don't have problems. Happy people have problems just like unhappy people. They are happy in spite of their problems, making for a better environment in which to deal with the problems. It is the way we deal with problems, that makes the real difference.

Everyone wants to be happy. Being Happy, not wanting to be happy, or pursuing happiness, is the goal. As Aristotle said: "Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence." Being Happy is my most important job. All you need is the desire to be happy. There is no other way to be happy than to understand how to do it or have someone show you how. Happiness is a learned response. Find someone who is happy and model that person, so you can learn how to be happy as well. It does not matter what your situation or circumstance is. What matters is your intention.

Happiness must be premeditated. You can't find it OUT THERE! You have to bring it with you. When you practice Premeditated Happiness, you go into every situation bringing your own happiness with you. You have your own reservoir to dip into. You don't have to look for it; you just need to practice being happy.

I gave a course on Happiness (Personal Power & Success through Happiness) at Sacred Heart University. Students who took my course received a "Bh.D." (Being Happy Daily Degree.) In 1999, the first year I gave the course, students at SHU, having finished the course on happiness, wanted to continue learning and practicing happiness. As a result, in January 2000, we started the first Happiness Club meeting. We have met once a month in Fairfield ever since then. We discuss with and listen to various speakers covering all aspects of happiness and how to be happy.

At one of our meetings, a whole bunch of people made the decision to be happy. It was a lot of fun. We placed a stair-stepper in front of the room and had everyone individually take the HAPPINESS STEP UP. People got up on the stepper and proclaimed they had made the happiness decision. It was that easy.

One woman who got on the stepper, later shared with me the fact that she was 88 years old. She felt she had not really been happy her entire life. Now at 88 she is choosing to be happy! She had made the decision to live happily for the rest of her life. Later when I spoke to her, she said the sad thing is that she had missed out on being happy her whole life up to that point.

I said to her, "You and I have the same amount of time left. The fact is neither one of us knows how much time we have. My time may be up before yours, but the important thing is being happy now. We all don't know how much time we have left, and life is short, isn't it? So why not be happy right now!" This is a great decision to make.

You can be happy by being happy right now. "Being" incorporates many things; it includes: thinking, feeling, doing and it all gets rolled up into that state of being. The Dalai Lama says that happiness is the most important thing in the world. Read his book, The Art of Happiness.

I have a sign in my office with these words: BE HAPPY ZONE. You know, it's one of those large yellow road signs with black lettering. It's the kind of sign you would see on the roadside attached to a post. If it were up to me, I would love to see road signs in Towns all over the world saying: "Be happy Zone" or "Smiling Strictly Enforced!"

Happiness allows you to use effort in a positive way and minimize struggle. Who said you needed your emotions to deal with a situation. Worry never changed anything for the better. Isn't it true that most of what we worry about doesn't happen. Even if the worst were to happen, worry leaves you in a terrible state. Worry has you completely and negatively affected by the situation and out of control.

Being happy is actually a smart choice. When you're happy, you're able to function much better. You feel better. You operate in a better space. Life seems to go smoother. When you're happy, you stop struggling. You put out the effort, but without the struggle because you are learning to control your negative emotions.

Don't drive yourself crazy. Lighten up! Let's work on becoming our own best friend, and do what's best for us. Be Happy - It's The Law!

Lionel Ketchian is the founder of the Happiness Club, a Happiness Coach, and can be reached at PrintLRK@aol.com. The Web site is http://www.happinessclub.com.