WEEK3:”True happiness…arises, in the first place, from the enjoyment of one’s self.” Joseph Addison   I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. Ecclesiastes3:12

Welcome Back!!! This week topic is all about being happy/ finding your true happiness. It’s a song  by Kirk Franklin that says I just wanna be happy/ but if I keep on doing the things That keep on bringing me pain /There’s no one else I can blame/ If I’m not happy. I mean those lyrics are just so powerful to me, feel free to listen and take your own meaning from it. It comes to a point in your life when you just forget all the negative stuff, realize certain things can’t be fixed and say I’m just going to be happy. The only person you can blame for not being happy is yourself. I can truly say that I’m at a point in my life at 19 years old, still learning, still growing, but I’m happy with the space I’m in right now. I’m enjoying every moment of this college lifestyle, I’m taking it for what it is. I mean Kirk Franklin said it the best; we do things that we know will bring us pain and disrupt our happiness time and time again. We allow negative people to enter our lives just to stress us out and make us unhappy. Why do we do that to ourselves or why do we even put ourselves in that position? Remember, I don’t have it all figured out I’m learning and growing like everyone else but we need to find our own happiness and not seeking it in materialisti things and people.

Money, Cars, Clothes are all TEMPORARY things that will bring you happiness for the time being. Understand you will never have those things forever; they can be taken away from you at the drop of a hat. It’s all about what’s in your heart that makes you different. Write your own book and remember because you wrote it you can freely edit it. You can add to your happiness or take away from your happiness. You have the freedom and the power to do that. This is your life if it doesn’t make you happy take it out. The reason why I am happy today is because I have accepted things for what they are. I have edited my book I have put people in, taken people out, looked at  situations from all angles and evaluated those different people and situations and asked myself are they contributing to my happiness or taking from it? The ones who were taking from my happiness I let them go because it was toxic to my growth. I had to set up my own happiness boundary wall because I am no longer giving anyone the power to dictate my happiness and most of all my life. When people are able to dictate your happiness they have gained power over you and you should have the power. I listen to Bishop T.D Jakes from time to time and he gives 5 steps to being happy and I’m going to share them with you.

  1. Own your own happiness. Don’t depend on anyone to make you happy. Be responsible for those things that bring joy into your life and heart.
  2. Challenge your own story. Do not torment yourself about how you see your life. You have told yourself something to be true, but it has been just a perspective truth.
  3. Enjoy the journey, not the destination. Stop delaying your happiness. We say when I get my degree, when I get to this level, when I get married I’m going to be happy. NO! Enjoy the journey and be happy in the journey. Celebrate all along the way not just when you finish.
  4. Making relationships count. Make sure that you have a relationship with whatever God you may serve. Knowing that someone is in charge gives you a sense of stability. Also, make sure the relationship with yourself is tight because if you don’t like you then who really will. Be tight with you and who you are, so when others come to enter your life they’ve entered a party that’s has already been started. Enjoy the relationships with you friends and others. They are here for a purpose.
  5. Balance work with play. Don’t take life so serious know that it is okay to enjoy yourself and have fun. Balancing work with play allows people to get to know a different side of who and what you are. Try not to put so much pressure on yourself.

I mean everything that he stands for and says I feel is very powerful and should motivate you to want to be happy. I encourage you to seek your own happiness. Find what makes you happy and like T.D Jakes said OWN it. Don’t let no one steal your joy. It’s yours, you earned that. Be sure to put you on your calendar. Make time in your busy life for YOU. Believe it or not, you need to give yourself some attention from time to time. I’m telling you vibes are real. If you don’t see yourself as worthy and valuable, then no one else will. Give your heart, mind, and body to someone who is going to make you happy. It’s time to make you happy and when your happy encourage others to be happy with you.

Feel free to leave comments or questions. Thanks for reading and I hope you come back for my next post. #ArtOfA