Are you happy?
I’m not talking about a “Yeah, I’m good” type of happiness.
I mean really and truly happy.
At your core.
When you wake up feeling grateful, joyful, and excited for the day.
Not just on vacation days, but pretty much every day.
Well.
Are you happy based on this definition of “happy?”
Let me tell you what I have found after verbally asking women this same question.
Happiness Research
I typically get a canned answer like I called out already.
“Oh yeah, I’m fine!”
Or, “I’m great, thanks for asking.”
Why is this or something along these lines our immediate answer?
Because we have trained ourselves to provide that response.
And because I know this to be the case, I keep going with my questions.
I say something like:
“Good. I’m glad you’re fine. But now tell me honestly, are you happy?”
At that moment you can see the crack in the wall inside of this woman.
Her eyes will shift down, or her lip will tremble slightly, or she will hold her breath for just a second.
What is she doing in that moment?
She’s doing two things:
- Letting herself actually feel whatever emotion she is currently feeling so she can share it.
- Trying to decide if she can answer honestly.
Once that splitsecond thought process happens she will finally say something like, “Well, I’m here. And some days, that’s about as good as I can get.”
Wow.
How honest of a statement is that?
How often have you felt that way?
How often have you felt “not happy but “here” and that’s as good as you can get in the moment?”
Happiness Means Not Settling
I’m here to tell you: stop settling for “I’m here!”
If you knew today that this was your last day.
That when you closed your eyes tonight you wouldn’t reopen them, what would you do?
How would you live?
So then my next question for you is: why aren’t living then?!
What keeps you from living and being happy?
There could be a lot of things.
And I am sure in a given week there are small things here or there that keep you from being happy.
But those small events aren’t the primary reason for your unhappiness.
Let me wager a guess as to what is . . .
You don’t feel deserving of happiness?
You have so many wonderful gifts in your life: a healthy family, beautiful kids, an amazing career, money in the bank, and the ability to not stress about the economic changes like most people do because you have worked hard to earn that security.
Because you have so much due to your hard work and achievements, it seems selfish to also want happiness.
And maybe the “Why can’t you just be happy?!” statement was thrown at you several times in the past to the point that you don’t feel deserving of happiness.
Whatever your truth is, whatever reason exists for you, please know this.
You very much deserve to be happy.
You didn’t sign up for a life of success without happiness. That wasn’t one of the onboarding forms they slipped into your orientation packet when you started your career.
You can be happy and successful.
And you can have both without jeopardizing your career.
AND when you pursue happiness, those you love will be even happier because you will have more love, joy, energy, and excitement to share with them!
Your happiness isn’t selfish, it’s deserved.
Check out the Legend Leaders app for a new program coming in June 2022 called The 1 Rule where you can learn how to have success and happiness! Follow the link here or download the Too Much app for free where you get your apps.