I truly believe that each and every one of us is in a constant search for happinesss. Whether we associate our being happy in terms of business/career success, material things, our personal relationships or all of them molded together, one thing that remains completely in our control is the ability to constantly put forth our best effort everyday. I’ve had some incredible time for reflection over these past few weeks in which I was able to re-define my own definition of happiness. Here are 3 points of reflection that stood out to me when I began to think about how to find happiness in my own life:
- Self Esteem – This is the foundation of which we build our own individual happiness on. The way we see and how we feel about ourselves helps create an environment in which the choice to be happy can be consistently re-inforced and consistently built upon. Think of this as the foundation to your dream home. Building the foundation on weak ground can only lead to major problems down the road. Our self-esteem includes the combination of qualities, virtues, behaviors, characteristics and qualities that you admire in yourself and others as well. Happy, successful and fulfilled individuals have a very clear vision about their self ideals. They know what they believe, who and what they stand for, and have a clear vision of how others seem them. This is done through constant relfection in which they are able to clearly identify the virtues and values through which they believe help construct happiness in their lives. Take an hour every week, to constantly define, re-define and affirm the values that help you to build a solid foundation of self-worth and confidence in who you are.
- Personal Pride – One of the key factors that relates to personal fulfillment and happiness is having pride in the work that you are doing. Everyone in our society admires and applauds an excellent performance, whether this be in business, relationships, music, sports or acting (just to name a few). Everyone also knows that the second best or average performance is not awarded, admired or respected by anyone. Each day that you choose to do your best in all aspects of your daily agenda, this helps to build a sense of pride and accomplishment deep within your soul resulting in profound feeling of happiness that can affect not only our own attitude and outlook on life, but that of our colleagues, loved ones and people we interact with on a daily basis. Choose to put forth an outstanding effort and have complete confidence in the performance you exhibit each day, knowing that it is worthy of appreciation, admiration and praise from your chosen audience.
- Decision Time – In the words of Zig Ziglar, “Our attitude determines our altitude”. At a certain point in the road, each of us has (or needs to) make a decision that we have complete control over our attitude and how it relates to our own happiness. For me, the key to deciding what happiness means in my life has been to take some time to reflect on what is important in my life. Much of the discussion surrounding happiness in life didn’t come down to material things, elaborate vacations or business ambitions (as myself and many that know me might think). Instead it had more to do with the ability to feel fulfilled, grateful and happy in each experience that I encounter on a daily basis. We’re all blessed with an incredible opportunity each day to pursue our passions, express love to those around us and create new memories that we can cherish forever. Make the right choice everyday going forward.
One last thing to remember. If you are constantly and consistently doing your absolute best, you’ll never have time to worry about the failures that occur along the way.
Below is one of my favorite scenes from Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happyness”, who consistently exemplifies an over-the-top and outstanding performance in everything that he does. Perform at your best, surround yourself with great people, choose to be happy and your efforts will not go unnoticed. ENJOY!
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