One thing I’ve discovered over the last few years, there are many ways for people to be unhappy, but happiness a far narrower path to follow.
This is an emotional time of year, and lets be fair the last 18 months has been brutal at times. I made some tough choices and today I’m more content than ever with where I am. There is more to go, but the trend is in the correct direction and I believe the hardest part is done.
Over the last few years Mums illness and passing has so overshadowed everything else, and to this day really gives everything else some much-needed perspective. Every day I there is something else I miss about her not being there. Having said that I do know it’s OK to miss mum, not to would be unnatural, but it’s how I deal with the emotions that come with it that is the important part.
So what are the traits that have kept me on this narrow path, and to be clear it’s a path that I’ve stepped off on occasion, but with practice and not a little help I’ve become more sure about where I’m walking every day.
Ancient Greek author and historian Thucydide (yeah, I’ve been doing some esoteric reading recently) said “The secret of Happiness is Freedom, and the secret of Freedom, Courage.”
To be free, and in this context I mean free to make the right choices in life. It does not matter how tough the moment, I choose my response and that choice manes I accept the consequences. It does take courage to be happy, to be true to ourselves and take responsibility for our choices.
Maybe the biggest discovery personally is that being happy requires a certain level of consistent personal growth, challenge and excitement. I have found the whole process of learning, in what ever form, to have become really important to how I feel about a day.
There are a number f partially formed thoughts here, I’ll probably get round to expanding on them overtime. I’ve a lot to think about and feel lucky to have some great people to help me, and today I am happy.
