I Will be Happy When…..

July 6th, 2010

I recently moved. What a huge job. One of the great things about moving is that it forces you to organize and there was a lot to organize! As I was sifting through boxes I found a stack of my old journals. What a hoot to read through them. What was interesting was looking at the goals that I had written for myself when I started college. The really cool thing was that a number of them have been achieved.

It got me thinking about goals, hopes and dreams and how we balance them with being happy and joyful in the moment. I guess I have always been very goal oriented. It is just important not to be too focused on the future to the point where you lose the present. The important thing is to be, in the words of Jim Rohn, “motivated and content”. To be truly happy right now while at the same time reaching for your true potential. Goals and hopes and dreams are important and keep us pushing to better ourselves.  The problem arises when we put off being happy until we fulfill our dreams. We fail to live our life for now and really enjoy the moment.

What if we could just let ourselves be happy. What if there was no criterion that had to be met before we could be happy. Instead of…. I will be happy when I finish school, or when the kids graduate, or when I earn a million dollars, or when I buy the new car or when I change careers, or when I retire. Why not just be happy now? Some people will not let themselves be happy until everything else is done first. They put happiness as the last item on a long to do list. I am here to tell you that everything is never all done. Some people feel that happiness is a prize you earn when you finally become your best self and reach your potential as a human being. This drive to better yourself before you allow yourself to be happy can actually block happiness.

It is the greatest joy to know that happiness is your essence. You do not have to do or accomplish anything before you can be happy. I think one of the best aspects of being totally happy is that you stop trying to prove yourself and make an impression on the world. You just are.

Robert Holden PhD runs a program called the Happiness Course. This is an 8 week extensive course that helps people discover and uncover their personal happiness. One of the exercises he gives is called “The Be Happy Experiment”. It is so simple that some brush it off and don’t realize how profound it can really be. Here it is…Are you ready? Lie down, do nothing, and let yourself be happy for one full hour. It is an exercise in being. The impact is in allowing yourself to be happy for no reason. It will be great when you reach all your goals but why not just be happy right now?