Our notions of happiness are easily intertwined with the idea of taking it easy, of not having anything to worry about or think about.
It’s like being on vacation – all the pressure of work stresses are left behind. For the one or two weeks away from the office, you’re relaxed, carefree and content because there’s no deadline. You’re free from the 40-hour-a-week treadmill.
No wonder, we equate our holidays with being happy. Surely true happiness is like being on vacation indefinitely. But wait a minute here. Is long-term happiness based on doing little or nothing? Remember holidays have an end point – your life and how you live happily far exceed three weeks or so a year.
Interestingly enough, doing nothing is not a key component of happiness although our 24/7 lives may think so. In fact, being engaged in life and fulfilling a personal goal or purpose, are predicators of a satisfying state of being.
Taking ownership of identifying what is important to you, and then assuming responsibility for achieving your objectives are necessary in allowing you to reach personal fulfillment. No sloughing off to anyone or anything else. By taking responsibility for yourself, the blame game is a non-starter. If you created the mess, you sit in it and find the means to move forward. But this sounds like too much work… Can’t I just go away on vacation – forever? Nope. Not if you truly want to be happy.
Being responsible strengthens self-esteem. Poor self-esteem amplified by blaming others and playing the victim in your life story has the opposite effect on you – and depression instead of happiness enters the picture. This unfortunate result is seen a lot today. By mistaking responsibility as undesirable – as too much work, many people have opened the door to feeling badly. Little did they know that the opposite is true. Taking personal responsibility is actually a sweet ticket to happiness.
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