wonder why some poor people are happy and some fabulously wealthy people are miserable? It has nothing to do with money or possessions but everything to do with doing what you love and spending time with the people you care about the most.
That's how you create happiness.
Happiness exists when you're following your greatest passion.
Happiness occurs when you share a memorable moment with someone you care about.
The moment you stop pursuing your passion or separate from the people you care about the most, happiness goes away as well. The only way you can bring back happiness is to pursue your passion and/or share special moments with your loved ones. It's really that simple.
FINDING HAPPINESS IN YOUR OWN LIFE
Just as you can never get into physical shape by exercising once, so you can only be happy by constantly following your passion and spending time with your loved ones. That means you must clearly identify both:
What is your passion (and how can you pursue it)?
Who are the most important people in your life (and how can you spend more time with them)?
Until you discover your passion, your life might feel aimless. Of course it's not enough to find your passion. You must also take action to follow through on your passion on a regular basis, every day if possible.
How do you find your passion? First, look for any activity that you enjoy doing. Remember, happiness is an action, not a destination, so you need to find the activity that you enjoy doing as its own reward, regardless of what anyone else might think.
For example, I once met a man who was passionate about spoons. This may sound silly, but he enjoyed spending everyday carving wooden spoons until they resembled sculptures you might expect to find in a museum.
Not only did this man enjoy the activity of carving wood, but he also loved the challenge of carving different items out of wood. He started with spoons but soon branched out to forks, bowls, picture frames, chairs, and anything else that could be shaped out of a single block of wood. His passion was simply carving wood into functional art that you couldn't help but admire.
So you not only want to look for any activity that you enjoy doing regardless of what anyone else might think, but you also want to choose an activity that provides a never-ending challenge. Can you think of a better life than one that lets you spend time doing what you love?
If you already know what you're passionate about, you just need the courage to pursue it and ignore any critics. However, if you're like many people, you may have no idea what you could be passionate about. To help find your passion, look at what you fear.
Far too many people take jobs they don't love because they're too afraid of pursuing what they do love. After all, it's far easier to look for that “safe” and “secure” job that promises a steady income along with the “security” of regular employment.
If you're playing it “safe” in life, ask yourself what are you afraid of? Identifying what you fear can be a huge clue to what you really want to do, but you just don't believe you can do it. Think of fear as a bright red blinking arrow pointing you in the direction you really want to go. Be brave and look past your fear. That's where you'll likely find your true passion in life.
Once you've defined your passion, write it down where you can see it every morning when you wake up. Also, write out your passion – on a piece of paper or on your phone – where you can review it during the day. Finally, study what you're most passionate about right before you go to bed each night. By constantly reminding yourself what you care about most, you can take action every day to move one step closer to your dream until you one day achieve success.
Besides knowing your passion, make a list of the people you care about the most. As much as we try not to face reality, we're all going to die one day, so it's important to spend as much quality time as possible with your loved ones.
That could mean doing something as simple as reading a book to a child before bedtime or riding a bicycle across Europe with a friend over the summer. Think about creating happy moments that you'll always remember with a smile on your face. Realize such moments will become even more precious once you realize we're all getting older and the world keeps changing around us every day. We can only repeat certain moments for a limited amount of time before they're gone for good.
Children grow up, parents get older, friends move away, and jobs change to ensure that life will never stay the same. Remember, everyone's time on Earth is limited and unknown, so make every moment you have as memorable as possible. Happiness is up to you.
CREATE A HAPPINESS SCHEDULE
To get into physical shape, you must follow a regular schedule. Likewise, to find happiness in your life, you must also follow a schedule. If you miss a workout day, you'll feel the difference in your body. If you miss a day without following your passion or being with someone you care about, you'll definitely feel the difference in your emotional state.
Every day, take action pursuing your passion. That action can be as short or as long as you like, but the more time you can spend doing what you love, the happier you'll be.
Use a piece of paper or a scheduling program to block out all necessary activities such as sleeping or going to work or school. Now with the free time remaining, schedule time for yourself.
Time, not money, is the most precious commodity in life. Everyone starts with the same 24 hours every day so spend those 24 hours wisely to follow your passion or share your life with your loved ones.
This is why money, fame, and power really can never make you happy. Once you pursue your dreams and strengthen your relationships with the people closest to you, that's when life becomes most satisfying.
So set aside time every day to follow your passion and be with the people you care about the most. When every day feels special, that's where the true riches in life will be found.
HOW TO KILL HAPPINESS (AND HOW TO GET IT)
At every moment, you can do something to improve your future. At the same time, you can also do something to hurt your future. By knowing common mistakes people make that can ruin their chances for happiness, you can make sure you don't repeat those same errors in your own life. Remember, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Here are four myths that threaten future happiness:
1 You can never find your passion. If you don't know what you want out of life, you're never going to get it. Without passion, life loses much of its purpose and meaning. Not knowing why you're here can be the most depressing and empty feeling in the world.
2 You can only find happiness by being selfish. That makes it far too easy to ignore or even hurt those closest to you. If you're willing to hurt your loved ones in a maniacal pursuit for your own happiness, you'll more than likely hurt others as well. If you ever do reach the goal you're seeking, victory will seem hollow when you have no one around to share your accomplishment. All the gold in the world means nothing to someone stranded on a desert island.
3 Money will make you happy. When you pursue money at all costs, it's
