The sun goes downThe stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came
I'm glad you came..
There are days where things don't go the way you wanted it to be. It's perfectly normal for everyone. We humans are not wired to be happy all 365 days of the year. What’s more important to us is how we pick up ourselves after those bad days. In saying this, one particular quote comes to mind.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
I disagree with this.
This quote, which has been widely used since Kelly Clarkson sang a song about it, is commonly said to someone when they are going through a tough situation, or has hit rock bottom.
But my question is, what happens after someone hits rock bottom, or when going through a hard time? Do they just accept it and not do anything about it? Or do they take action, survive from it, and learn from it? Every individual is vastly different. Some will work through it right away and get back on their feet. Whereas others will do stupid things, regrets it and then get through the situation.
The people that I admire most are the ones that are able push themselves to find the light at the end of the tunnel after a bad situation or a bad mistake. This, in my opinion, is what makes us stronger.
In our lives, we go through negative events, the event itself most likely will make us sad, depressed and at times, weak. It doesn’t make us strong. It may make us realize our mistakes, but it won’t make us stronger. We will build a wall around us to shelter our pain and to protect ourselves from getting hurt in future. Those walls represent our fears; such as fear of trusting again, fear of getting hurt again, or fear of losing ourselves. For most, breaking down those walls that acts as barriers involves a long process of healing.
But when those walls are diminished and a person is fully healed, it is a great achievement. That in itself makes us stronger. We are stronger to being able to put ourselves out there again with the risk of getting hurt again. We are stronger in knowing that whatever happens in future, we know everything will be okay.
During the healing process of rediscovering ourselves, we need to look within ourselves and find happiness.
Healing Self = Finding Happiness
Happiness is all around us, whether we can see it or not. Ever seen someone who has so little (no money, no house) act so happy? Maybe you know someone like that? These people put the value of their relationships with others, their health and their kindness above the value of money and assets that is in their name. These people are hard to find nowadays. I truly admire people like these and strive to be like them when I grow up.
Finding happiness can be achieved in 7 steps, which is illustrated in the diagram found below. I find these steps to be the most simplest and straightforward.
7 Steps to Happiness:
1) Think Less, Feel More
Don’t make a decision or a judgment based on what we think or what we perceive. Follow our heart. Most often, our gut feeling is right.
2) Frown Less, Smile MoreA person’s smile is their most attractive feature. We are a more beautiful person just by forgetting our flaws and smiling more.
3) Talk less, Listen MoreListening more can allow us to learn more. When we truly listen to someone, we will make the other person happy and feel appreciated as they know they are being heard.4) Judge Less, Accept MoreDon’t judge a book by its cover. When we see through a person’s outer appearance, we see their true heart.
5) Watch Less, Do MoreRather than observing someone doing things for themselves, start doing things that we have always wanted to do or things that make us happy. Don’t let our fears stop us from trying new things because we won’t know unless we try it for ourselves.
6) Complain Less, Appreciate MoreShow our appreciation to those that matter to us, and strive not to look for the bad things in any situation. Appreciation for life and everything we have is also essential for our wellbeing. 7) Fear Less, Love More Never be afraid of anything. When we let go of our fear, we will learn to love ourselves again.
By following these steps, we will find happiness, improve ourselves and forgive others. This will enable us to heal and move on in life after whatever hardships that have been thrown in our way. So, are you ready to find your happiness?
Image source: happinessinyourlife.com
Michelle Lai 
