The Final Test

"I was as sure as that I was alive, that happiness not only needs no justification, but that it is also the only final test of whether what I am doing is right for me."

-- Joanna Field

Happiness needs no justification. It bears repeating. You need no particular reason to be happy; you can just let yourself be happy. What a concept! You don't have to achieve anything, or attain certain goals, or win the Nobel Prize, or become a millionaire, you can just be happy right here, right now.

But what if you aren't happy? What if you're day-to-day existence is driving you crazy? Hmmm... Then maybe whatever it is you're doing is not right for you. It could be you have the wrong job, or the wrong partner, or live in the wrong place, or have the wrong attitude. Happiness is the default position for a human being. If you're not happy, you're doing something wrong.

Here's another approach that also works -- start doing more of what you know makes you happy. Are you happy with your friends? Spend more time with them. Happy playing tennis? Play more often. Happy having sex? Go get you some!

Whatever makes you happy -- do more of it! Whatever makes you unhappy -- quit doing it! Doing more of what you enjoy is like giving the engine of happiness more gas. Doing less of what you can't stand is like taking your foot off the brake. Not exactly quantum physics, just simple, uncommon sense.

One last happiness hint: Quit comparing! Do whatever intrinsically makes you happy. It matters not what others do or have. True happiness never comes from comparing yourself to others. It only comes from being and doing what intuitively feels right to you.

Actually, today's a great day to be happy! Do at least one thing you love to do. Get together with, or at least get in touch with, one person whose very presence, whose very being, evokes happiness in you. And the things that you are really unhappy doing, give them up, if only for one day, or start to change them. Finding happiness may not seem easy at first, but it is quite simple. Let love be your guide. Do more of what you love, less of what you don't, and happiness will begin to become your constant and loyal companion.