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Exactly what does it take to find happiness in this life?
How much of what you do in life is aimed at making yourself happy?
What can we do to find more happiness in life?
How much does being happy matter to you?
The great misunderstanding is that we assume there will be one thing that brings us happiness, when the truth is it’s the journey, it’s the adventure. Going and finding our happy is one of the most fulfilling parts of our lives.
I just want to be happy.” “Whenever I *fill in the blank* I’ll be happy.
I consider myself to be very lucky because I can say, without hesitation, that I am happy. It’s not because I have accomplished everything I’ve wanted. It’s not because life hasn’t punched me in the face, because it has, more than a couple of times. It’s not because I sit around waiting to be happy. It’s because I actively go out and find it. If you allow yourself to get sucked into the idea that there is a perfect life, that follows a perfect formula to achieve happiness, you’re going to find yourself constantly waiting and never finding it. Life is very imperfect and you’re going to have to be resilient if you’re ever going to find some happy.
Since I was young, I knew I was going to be a doctor. It made perfect sense. I was going to find happiness through helping others. My parents were ecstatic, my family was supportive, and I knew it was an important and fulfilling career. It became even more clear to me when I began helping take care of my Pa Joe. He was unlucky enough to battle Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, simultaneously. Pa Joe’s nickname for me was, “Dr. E”. To this day, I’m not sure if it was his disease and he really thought I was a doctor, or if it was his way of making light of the fact that a 13 year old had to help him get his pants on in the morning. It was through him I learned the importance of asking for help. He was also the first person that I ever saw at their very worst. It still amazes me how much one person can endure while still finding the strength to smile and tell a joke. I think that ability is a key part of our survival as a species. It was an honor to get to know Pa Joe and I’m thankful for the impact he has had on my life.
I didn’t end up becoming a doctor. I did everything I was supposed to, though. Throughout high school, I took any medically relevant class I could find. My junior year of high school, I was part of the Youth Apprenticeship Program, which gave me the opportunity to shadow different surgeons and surgeries in the afternoons. The smells, the sights, the things that usually make people sick, made me excited. I got a bachelors in Biology, with a Pre-Med focus, and then I decided not to become a doctor. More specifically, I realized the goal I was working towards wasn’t bringing me happiness.
There are many times in our lives that we make decisions that have an impact for years to come. This was one of those times for me. The reasons to become a doctor were obvious, but they didn’t factor in true happiness. They factored in financial stability, they coincided with our society’s ideals of what makes people happy, but they didn’t factor in my individual understanding of what brings me happiness.
I was lucky enough to find home brewing my junior year of college with one of my best friends. I put everything I had into it. I read all the books; I watched all the Youtube videos; we would travel an hour each way to get brewing supplies. Brewing brought me a sense of joy that I hadn’t found in years. I made the very specific decision to follow that happiness and pursue my passion.
How many of you reading this have careers that you “can’t get out of”? How many have jobs that you hate? Whatever your reason is for repeatedly doing something you hate, it’s bullshit. If it isn’t making you happy, change it. We are given a very finite amount of time on this earth and if we spend it doing stuff we hate, we’ve wasted it. Why not spend more time doing things that make us happy? Do you know what makes you happy? How do we find happiness?
I want to make sure it is very clear that I am not a licensed professional, I have no degree in psychology or counseling, and this blog should not be used as medically or clinically approved literature. My goal is to talk about the topic, discuss the science behind activities that bring people happiness, and provide information about positive outlets that can increase happiness. Many of the topics that are discussed are either things I’ve experienced, observed, or am interested in. People suffering from clinical depression need to consult a professional. It is a serious disease that needs the attention of someone trained to deal with it.
With all of this in mind, I hope you enjoy my future posts and I’d love to hear from anyone that wants to reach out. My goal is that someone out there can use something from this site to help them find their happy.
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This post was previously published on Gofindyourhappy.net and is republished here with permission from the author.
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