Learning to Find Happiness Where You Are

Many people think they will find happiness somewhere else or at another place in their life. I once worked with a fellow named Joe. He was a district manager in our company. He had a great job in a great company and he left for what he thought was a better opportunity. After working for the other company he managed to get hired back into the company I was still working for. I will never forget his words that he told me one day..."I learned the grass is brown on both sides of the fence".

It is the corollary to the "grass is greener on the other side of the fence". I know that I have experienced many times the thought "when this happens then I will be satisfied" just to find out that what I thought I wanted really did not add to my happiness. The profoundness of Joe's statement is that it can apply to many areas of your life. If you think your happiness is dependent upon external factors, your marital situation, your health, your children doing what you would like them to do, a promotion, becoming financially independent.... you fill in the blank, you will continue to struggle with how to be happy.

Your state of happiness is more within your control than you may realize. How you choose to react with the situations that life deals you is vitally important to how happy you feel. You actually have several choices in how you respond. You can be a victim, a whiner in search of self-pity, allow yourself to get down or depressed or you can decide every time life throws you a curve ball you are going to look for the lesson, the opportunity for growth or maintain an attitude that it will result in something positive. You simply need to go through the difficult period to see what is on the other side. For many the grass will always be greener where they are not. Choose to believe that the grass is greener where you water it. Begin living your life being thankful each day for what is in it rather than being disappointed in what is not.

Today I took my dog for a walk. It was 35 degrees but it felt warm due to a perfectly clear day filled with sunshine. I remember thinking, "I am thankful just to be able to walk". My thoughts were of a friend who has been confined to a wheel chair in the prime of his life due to a strange debilitating illness. It is often the simplest of things that can bring joy and happiness.