Attitude And Happiness

Attitudes are the building blocks of a happy life. Culturally, we are taught to look outward for our validation and solutions to problems. Few of us realize most problems are caused by our internal attitudes and the responses we choose in relation to what happens. While we have no control over external events, we have complete control over how we respond to them. We assume happiness is something we must earn and we can't have it as long as we have problems that need fixing.

This is not true. Neither happiness or unhappiness is guaranteed, and you alone choose which you want in your life. While this is a simple concept, it can be tough to practice. There may be difficulty in achieving a happy life, yet there is more difficulty living a life in which you are continually unhappy.

People will spend years and thousands of dollars to earn a degree or be successful in their line of work. It is interesting how these same people resist the idea of spending time and money learning to live happily and rewardingly. There is a paradoxical twist to this, which brings us back to the idea of believing we must look outside ourselves for validation and approval. By looking inside for your solutions and validation of your existence, you find that elusive something called happiness.

Happiness is not a lack of problems, pots of money or freedom to live an independent life. Happiness is how you choose to feel about what is happening now. Admittedly, no one is going to sing and dance at their own execution, yet many of us act as though our minor issues are an execution. Attitudes arise from beliefs we pick up on our journey through life.

It is surprising and mortifying to discover that much of what we believe is no longer appropriate. Many people have found contentment, peace of mind and better health through taking time to examine their attitudes and changing the inappropriate ones. Research shows that repressing emotions and failing to have the courage of your convictions results in major health concerns.

By allowing yourself the time, energy and patience, you can change anything. Attitudes are something that, the more you look, the more you find. Beliefs and how they affect us are fascinating. People are as individual as the stars and far more fascinating, because they offer us communication, friendship and discovery. Few of us realize our capabilities, because we have not taken the trouble to find out what we can accomplish.

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