I had an epiphany last night. I was in bed, saying my prayers before succumbing to a fitful sleep when it happened: I finally realized there is no set “way” to happiness. Happiness IS the way. (Thanks Thich Nhat Hanh)
I was asking God for help. Help finding a better job, one that makes me happier. Finding the love of my life. Because I want that. I want that so much.
All my life I’ve bought into the “if, then” principle. For example: If I lose weight, then I will be happy. If I have a boyfriend, THEN I will be happy. If I run x amount of miles in a week, a year, then I will be happy.
But that’s not true. Happiness can’t be found somewhere, in something, or someone. It’s inside of you. You must make your own happiness. Do things you love, and love will find you. Do what makes you happy and happiness will come.
It’s just that easy.
But I fight it. Why do I fight it? Why do I think that I know best? Losing 150 Pounds DID make me happy-that’s true. But it isn’t the root of my happiness. Having a boyfriend (sometimes) makes me happy. 🙂 But I’ve finally realized that I’ve got to be happy being alone before I can be happy with someone else. And I am. I think. (I gotta work on that, I guess!) Then the right one will come along and simply add to my happiness—not be responsible for creating it. Because that is too much weight to place on one person. I need to be happy in the job I’m at now, because that’s where I’m at. I can work on changing that though!
Happiness isn’t found in another person, a better paying job, in the bottom of a bottle, or on a plate of food. It’s not in material or physical things. It’s in the quiet realization that I have everything I need, right here and now.
What a powerful realization.
“There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way.” -Thich Nhat Hanh
Runnin' Down a Dream 