513: Happiness Takes Effort - Living the Buddha

There is a misperception that may keep people from experiencing happiness.  It is the misbelief that happiness lands on some people and not others.  For people who struggle with joy they see others smiling and enjoying life and wonder how these people were so blessed to have a life free of stress and worry.  They then wonder why their own lives are fraught with disappointment.

Here’s a news flash.  Absolutely everyone has something they are going through.  Regardless of whether it is minor or major, no one’s life is without challenges.  The people that seem to experience joy more consistently simply know that cultivating joy takes work.  It is not a laborious task that occurs in every moment but it does take effort.  Happiness doesn’t just happen.

What is the secret?  As you may have guessed it starts with a mindset of intention.  Regardless of circumstance it will serve you to begin to see the happiness that exists in every moment.  Brendon Burchard, author of The Charge and the The Motivation Manifesto spoke about how his father on his deathbed with leukemia was able to bring joy and laughter to the doctors and the nurses in his care with his lightness of spirit and happiness.  He knew how to bring joy regardless of his situation. His goal each day was to help people experience joy.  That intention created the laughter and happiness.

It’s safe to say that if a man battling Leukemia has the ability to bring joy then most anyone can.  Again, we all go through tough times but it is important to face those time with the intention of creating joy, not dismissing the challenge itself but by transcending it to find the source of light in that moment.

I have spoken before about how each time I enter a room to speak with a group of people or just one other person I have one goal, to raise the spirits of that person or group.  The intention is to focus on raising the energy of those moments.  That goal takes intention and consistent focus.

It becomes second nature after a while but the awareness needs to be there.  That skill of creating intention is not unique to me or anyone.  Each of us has the ability to  enter a room or conversation with the ability to make that moment positive.

It comes from:

• Focusing on conversations that are positive.
• Redirecting negative comments to their more positive counterparts
• It comes from choosing topics of conversations that lift the group.  These topics can be of difficult times but the absolute focus needs to be of finding the positive shortly.
• Leaving a conversation that does not have an energy of growth.

Happiness is a choice, as cliche as it seems, but the focus and intention need to be there all the time to create that joy.  Yes, create that joy in all moments, good or bad.  Here’s the challenge: 

Cultivate the ability to raise the energy of every conversation you have, large or small and you will begin to see it transform your life. Create that joy in the situations around you and joy will no longer be viewed as the gift of the select few.

Question of the Day:

When was the last time you were able to transform a negative conversation to a positive one?