Finding Our Happiness Flow
by
Dr. Robert Puff, Ph.D.
Copyright 2015 Dr. Robert Puff, Ph.D.,
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-2499-6
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
Introduction
We live in a society focused on want. We want a great career, we want money, we want a wonderful soulmate, we want to succeed . . .
You have probably picked up this book because you want to be happy. That is the basis of what everyone truly wants. The good news is that you don’t need anyone or anything outside yourself to make it happen. You already have what you need, and it is inside you.
My hope is that all my writings about the pursuit of happiness will help you learn how to be happy right now. That has to be your goal, to be happy now. That has to be the goal for all of us, not money, not success, not the right love or the right looks. The goal has to be pure happiness.
Together, with this book, we will unlock the secrets of what it takes to lead happy lives, and as we move along through the chapters, I know you will indeed see your life improve.
Chapter One
The Pursuit of Happiness: What Are You Seeking?
We all search for different things. Some of us seek money, some seek fame, some seek love, and some seek health. However, I believe that what we are all ultimately searching for is happiness. “I’ll be happy if I find the love of my life . . . I’ll be happy if I get that promotion and can purchase that car . . . I’ll be happy if everyone knows my name . . . I’ll be happy if my sickness is healed . . .” The list goes on. We seem to forget that people who have love, money, fame, or health are not necessarily happy.
Instead of those things that may or may not lead to happiness, we are going to examine what does give us long-lasting happiness.
First, you should know a little about me. From a very young age, I have passionately pursued happiness, exploring what makes us happy and how exactly we can be happy. My journey has been long and arduous, but along the way, I have gained some important insights into the art of being happy, staying happy, and maintaining happiness throughout one’s life. And because I love to tell stories, I’ll be sharing plenty of anecdotes to help you learn how to do the same. I believe this is why God put me here—to impart this knowledge and help others.
I absolutely guarantee that anyone, absolutely anyone, can be happy if he or she just works at it. At our core, happiness is the thing we are all pursuing. We may be searching for it by fanatically following our favorite sports team every weekend, by searching for love in the local clubs, or by toiling daily at work, hoping to make enough money so that all will be well. In the space of this book, we will explore these different paths and find out what truly helps us to be happy, stay happy, and live a happy life.
The following story explains what happiness, at its core, is all about.
*
There once was a man named Jim who constantly prayed to God for this and that, always wanting something. He prayed for more money, he prayed for true love, he prayed for his illness to be cured and his pain to disappear, and so on.
Late one night while Jim was saying his prayers, a voice began speaking to him out of nowhere. Although he felt very frightened, he finally mustered up the courage to ask, “Who is it?”
The voice answered, “I am God.”
As you can imagine, Jim was both very scared and very excited. He asked God, “Why are you here, God? What do you want?”
God replied, “Jim, you have been praying to me for many, many years, constantly asking me for this and that. I have decided that I am going to give you one last thing. It can be anything you wish. However, what you ask for will be the last thing that I ever give you, so consider carefully what you want.”
Jim was thrilled but extremely nervous. He really didn’t know what to ask for and shuddered at the thought of making an unwise choice. So, he began asking his friends for advice.
One friend advised, “Ask for money!” but a second friend warned, “No! We all know people who have lots of money but who still have lots of problems.” A third friend recommended, “Ask for a long life!” but yet another friend warned, “No! If you ask for that, you will outlive all your friends and loved ones, and you will be sad and lonely later in life.”
Jim continued to question anyone and everyone what he should ask God for, but nothing seemed right. Every idea that anyone suggested seemed to have some type of downside, making it a bad choice.
Six months later, God came to Jim again. God said, “Jim, it has been six months, and I must have your answer. What is it that you want from me?”
Jim replied, “God, may I ask you a question first?”
God smiled and responded, “Yes, Jim, of course you may ask me a question. What is it?”
And so Jim asked, “God, can you tell me what to wish for? I don’t know what I want.”
Pleased with Jim’s wisdom, God said, “Yes, Jim, I will tell you what to ask for. Jim, what you should ask for is to be content with whatever happens in your life.”
Jim grinned and nodded, finally understanding what God was trying to teach him.
*
At its core, Jim’s story tells us that if we learn to be content with what we have, then we are happy. If we learn to love what life has given us, then we are happy. Yes, we might desire to make a few changes here and there, and yes, everything might not go exactly the way we initially planned. However, if we celebrate and love what we have while at the same time working toward making changes, we will lead a happy life.
Think about those words: “be content with what we have.” What does this mean for any of us? You might say, “I am in a job I don’t like. Can I be happy?” Of course! Make adjustments as best you can, but if your job satisfaction still doesn’t change, learn to be content with what you have. If you never seem to have enough money, then retrain your thinking and learn to be happy with what you have.
A scientific rule, which I reference frequently, states, “If any person in the universe can be happy with this situation, then happiness is a possibility for anyone.” In other words, if someone has cancer but is happy, it means that any of us, even if we suffer from a similar misfortune, can be happy. If someone has lost the love of his or her life but is still able to find happiness, then anyone can find happiness. Later in the book, I will elaborate much further on this idea.
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