As I sit with time on my hand, (Here is today’s post) I read through the recent posts of the new year. The common denominator between them was the search for why we are here. What is the meaning of life? The meaning I have found is very anticlimactic, for it resides within our happiness.

There are three sides to happiness. Most will tell of the happiness given and received. Rarely, will one comment on the happiness witnessed. Yet, we see it everyday. People helping others, speaking with kindness, and shining a smile on each other.

Happiness is a machine. A machine with more parts will fail more times than a machine with less parts. Such is true with our happiness. A simple state of happiness is easier to achieve and maintain than a complex happiness. Conditional happiness is an example of a complex happiness. If this then that, but only when, these conditions make it almost impossible to find happiness.

The song title “Simple Man”, by Lynyrd Skynyrd, captures a mother teaching her son this lesson. Don’t just listen to the song, take the time to read the lyrics. Being simple has brought more happiness than anything else in life. I constantly knock off the extra crude that gathers through time. Drama, hate, discontentment, and jealousy all has to go. If it’s not positive then it neutral or negative. If we want happiness then we only kept positivity in our lives. This is a lot harder said than done. This is why it is important to start small and build.

Take the time to find happiness. Clean out life’s clutter. This may mean letting people go. Everyone is not worth holding on to, but, some are. Learn who to let in and who to keep out. Make yourself happy first. This does not mean be selfish. We must take care of ourselves before taking care of others.

Once we are happy we can focus on others. News Flash! We cannot and will not make everyone happy. But we can present ourselves in a positive light and be that beacon everyone needs. Be that person with kind words. Even when we are tempered, kindness must show. Sometimes that means expressing out discontentment (professionally), then walking away to cool down. Nothing is achieved by going into a death metal rage fit.

So here’s to finding our happiness. May it always fit us well.

Steve