Happy Essence Blog

The Pursuit of Happiness Sans Psychopharmaceuticals

September 23rd, 2009

In the United States alone, $85 per person is spent on psychopharmaceuticals!  These are prescription and over-the-counter drugs designed to treat emotional disorders, which means that these are used in the pursuit of happiness.  Did you know, however, that you can do away, or at least, lessen your dependence on these psychopharmaceuticals in your pursuit of happiness? 

Communicating Positively

The pursuit of happiness involves interactions with other people. As such, communication is key towards achieving happiness especially communication with friends and family.  However, when you do communicate, always strive for a positive tone.  This way, you can concentrate on your triumphs and be happy with them instead of focusing on the trials and become unhappy. After all, the pursuit of happiness must generally be a happy journey.

Also, you must cultivate quality relationships by sharing your personal feelings and sharing in the personal feelings of another.  (No, talking about mundane things like sports and the weather will not cut it) You need to focus on quality of true friends instead of quantity of acquaintances.   Any therapist will tell you that surrounding yourself with good, honest and true friends is one of the best cures for depression. 

Caring for Others

It’s good to be good.  You will find that helping others in their own pursuit of happiness helps your own quest, too. Indeed, the happiness of others when you help them help themselves can be your source of happiness, too! 

You do not have to become a superhero saving the world from monsters like famine, war and abuse.  Often, the little things in life - caring for an adopted pet, volunteering in a homeless shelter, feeding a hungry person - will provide a stronger sense of purpose. Thus, your pursuit of happiness also acquires a stronger sense of achievement.  Besides, caring for others make you realize just how lucky you are.  And who needs psychopharmaceuticals to make you feel happy when you know it?

Cultivating Yourself

The pursuit of happiness is a highly personal journey.  As such, you will need all the personal strengths that you can get.  And for you to do this, you have to cultivate yourself. 

You can attend personal development seminars, set aside time for yourself, surround yourself with good friends, and always compliment yourself for a job well done, to name a few things you can do to cultivate yourself in the pursuit of happiness. The important thing is that you love yourself more than others can possibly love you. 

However, you must use your strengths to achieve purposes greater than your own personal goals.  You will discover that in doing so, your pursuit of happiness acquires greater purpose, greater passion and greater pleasure. 

Any psychologist will tell you that being happy sans uppers involves making the conscious choice to become happy with who and what you are.  Acceptance is the key in healing, after all.

In conclusion, the pursuit of happiness sans psychopharmaceuticals hinges on communicating to others, caring for others and cultivating your inner self.   

For more tips on how best to carry out the pursuit of happiness, log on to www.happyessence.com today!

The Golden Rule in the Pursuit of Happiness

September 17th, 2009

Among the inalienable rights of man, as asserted by the United States Constitution, is the pursuit of happiness. Through the ages, philosophers, prophets and movie producers alike have put forth countless ways to make the pursuit of happiness easier, faster and better.  And then the Golden Rule comes in.  Virtually every philosopher from Confucius to Christ have their take on it, either stated positively or negatively, but all of them pointing to one thing - Do unto others as you would have them do unto yourself.  So, how is the Golden Rule related to the pursuit of happiness?  

Happiness Must be Achieved with Others in Mind

Without a doubt, the pursuit of happiness is a very personal quest as happiness itself is a very personal emotion.  As such, it can be a selfish activity.  However, your pursuit of happiness must be undertaken with the happiness of other people in your mind.  You do not live in a vacuum and you do not achieve true happiness by making others unhappy by your selfish actions.  Besides, you would not want others to be happy at your suffering, would you?

Of course, this does not mean that you have to make others happy all the time because then you will never be happy.  This simply means that in your pursuit of happiness, you have stepped on as little toes as possible as much as you would like that the pursuit of happiness of the people around you does not come at the expense of your toes, so to speak.  Now, this truly harks back to the Golden Rule. 

Happiness Must be Shared with Others

The fruits of the pursuit of happiness must be shared with others.  You will discover to your delight that your joy instantly doubles itself when someone else is happy for you!  For example, if you achieved your dream of winning the Olympic Gold, sharing the honor with your family and friends make them happy, too. 

Besides, it is only right that you share since they, too, had a hand in your pursuit of happiness, thanks to their encouragement and support through your ups and downs.  Plus, they can count on you to do the same for them. 

When you have followed the Golden Rule in loving and living during your pursuit of happiness, you will truly enjoy the fruits of your labor.  Life is, after all, about giving to others so that you, too, may be able to receive in full measure.

Don’t think either that it is about material wealth, this giving and receiving in full measure.  Happiness, after all, is best measured with the things in life that you cannot see, only feel such as joy in the kiss of a baby. 

For more tips on how best to carry out the pursuit of happiness, log on to www.happyessence.com today!

The Best Strategy in the Pursuit of Happiness

June 17th, 2009

The pursuit of happiness is an age-old occupation; the human race has been at it since the beginning of time.  However, even with the many years of experience in this “career,” we still have yet to discover the real road to undeniable joy.  Happiness has been equated with so many things – fame, fortune, peace – but still no real definition has emerged.  Happiness is still an abstract concept; one that cannot have a universal meaning.  Here, the question lies; how can you find something that you do not understand?

In the pursuit of happiness, the best strategy that you can take is to first and foremost learn what happiness is for you.  It can be a cornucopia of a lot of things- a good job, a happy family, enough savings, a debt-free life – but knowing which are the most important to you can help you immensely in realizing how you can be happy.

First, write down everything that you think you need in your pursuit of happiness.  This list need not be an exact delineation of your plan on how to achieve joy; just random thoughts on what you think you need and what you think you want. You should also list down what you already have that are important to you.

Next, you need to organize the list into the material and the immaterial.  Material includes houses, money – anything that is considered possession.  Another part should include everything that you cannot touch such as respect, love, peace, etc.  The last should include the people who trigger overwhelming emotions in you even if the emotions are contradictory.

In your list of things that can help you in the pursuit of happiness, you may (and should) include the things or non-things that you do not have yet.  In looking at this list, you can actually gleam a little bit of prospect of what happiness is to you personally. Some people strike a balance among the three parts – possessions, people, and wants; others however would place more importance on one of the three.

Looking at your list, you should be able to see what it that you place most importance in is; if you see for instance that you are more involved with the people you surround yourself with, then you would likely achieve happiness by making these people happy.  Their happiness is your happiness.

If, in the pursuit of happiness, you place more importance with achievements, then you most likely would find joy in succeeding.  This could involve your career, the business that you want to put up, the things that you would like to possess.

Finally, if you place more importance on the dreams that you have yet achieved, then you may actually find more joy in fantasizing of a better life.  Your pursuit of happiness can be dependent on the possibilities of a better life rather than actually having one.

Some people think that the pursuit of happiness is an endless quest; probably because we truly do not know when we are already happy. Know happiness when you see it; check out www.happyessence.com

Five Simple Ways that Can Help You in your Pursuit of Happiness

May 14th, 2009

The only reason why you will be reading this article would be because you have yet to find your happiness.  You may be down in the dumps on your luck and you feel that you are nowhere near the first steps to the journey you have to make in the pursuit of happiness. Sometimes, we get so caught up in the depressing turn out of events in our lives that we simply forget that happiness can be found in the simplest things.

It is true we cannot discount the important role money and possessions have on living our lives comfortably.  Nevertheless, comfort is not the same as joy; neither is money equal to happiness.  What then is happiness? It is a concept that is equivalent only to itself.  In your pursuit of happiness then is it not sensible to look for joy and nothing else?

Here are five simple ways to get you started on the path to real happiness:

1. Recognize that want is different from obsession. It is all right to dream of the things that you do not have but to constantly pine for it to the point that you cannot see what you have right now can never be constructive. When you can look at the things that surround you and see them as achievements instead of steps to bigger and more ambitious goals, you will realize that happiness is already part of all those achievements.

2. Take time to smile about the most ubiquitous things you can find.  Technology has gotten us so far that we often take for granted the options science has awarded us.  We think that all of the devices, gadgets, and advancements are tools that we can use in the pursuit of happiness.  The next time you call or send a text message on your mobile, think of how much that convenience has meant to your life.

3. Think positively.  Although this is an advice that has been given out billions of times over, it is still an alien concept. Thinking that your day is going to get better is different from thinking that your day is good.

4. Take quick vacations right inside your own home. Stress is part of our everyday life and if you keep on looking forward to real vacations that may never happen, you will just keep getting disappointed.  Instead if harassing over vacation plans in Aspen, enjoy a daily bubble bath in your bathtub.  Listen to good music over a good and health dinner and pair it with a glass of wine you like.

5. Finally, the pursuit to happiness cannot be yours unless you realize that it is in actuality a very short path.  The moment you smile you have already reached the end of your journey. So smile!

So many people nowadays look to material possessions to find happiness; sometimes though, the best ways to be happy can be found in simply living. Head on to www.happyessence.com and find more ways that can help you in your pursuit of happiness.

What to Expect in your Pursuit of Happiness Part 2

February 27th, 2009

You also need to be realistic when it comes to your expectations. Don’t just completely look forward to all the good things that may come your way and brush off all the bad ones. Doing so can lead to serious disappointments when anything negative can come across you. Worrying about all the bad things that can surface without looking on the bright side can also cause some depression and lack of confidence and that will immobilize you from getting anywhere.

If see that there is too much to expect, it may be because you have too many things that you want to attain. Or maybe you do not realize, but you could be having multiple pursuits of happiness because of too many desires in your mind. Try to break your thoughts down and do one approach at a time and slowly attain the different forms of happiness that you want to achieve so that they nicely stack up into a much bigger happiness.

If you are strategic, you can also try rearranging your entire path and make it in such a way that you can achieve many desires in one pursuit. It may seem hard to do, but the key to doing it regardless of your situation is careful planning and patience in taking the long path to success. Always remember to look ahead after planning and try to execute it yourself in your mind and see if things can work out. After all of that motivation, it is time to set the course and you will occasionally find yourself happier.

For more information on pursuit of happiness, please visit: http://www.HappyEssence.com

What to Expect in your Pursuit of Happiness Part 1

February 20th, 2009
If you ever decide to embark on a journey to success for your own personal comfort, you are taking a pursuit of happiness. The length of this pursuit varies depending on what exactly you are aiming for. If you are up for going on a pursuit that will grant you a long-term happiness or authentic happiness, then expect your journey to be a long, but exciting one.

Regardless of length, many things are to be expected while going on route through your pursuit of happiness. To avoid overload in the mind, it is best to focus on things that solely fall between you and your goal of whatever kind that can bring you more happiness.

Things that you may encounter can vary greatly depending on what your pursuit of happiness is meant for. Some of the practical things to expect are time lapses, challenges, exciting moments, and new experiences. You may come across people like friends, family, new acquaintances, and old comrades who can affect your happiness and motivation levels.

What you need to do is overcome those expected challenges by utilizing all of the positive expectations to help you throughout your pursuit. By being fully prepared and looking ahead on what to expect, you can react to any given situation when it comes up.

Find out what surprises are in store when you strive to be happy. http://www.HappyEssence.com

 

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