As an aviation electrician, I work with a lot of test sets. Each box has its use, which means I need to know how to connect and operate these 1970 era relics. That got me thinking about happiness. 

How often do we find happiness then, not know what to do? It’s as though we are always told to “find our happiness” but never told what to do once we find it. Of course, the obvious answer is “Enjoy it.”  But, stopping to smell the roses doesn’t come easy for some of us. 

And just like that, frustration sets in, and we lose the happiness we were searching for. It’s not difficult to comprehend the negative impact of the spiraling domino effect caused by our newfound depression. 

We’ve also heard that we must maintain our happiness to enjoy it for any length of time. True as this may be, how do we keep what we don’t even know how to enjoy? 

If this sounds familiar, then I have one word for you. Stop. Due to my over-analytical thinking, I have found myself fighting to stay happy. The statements above are how happiness feels to me at times. 

Happiness is a state of being, not a state of mind. It’s a product of our actions, not what we manufacture. Thus, there is no such thing as maintaining happiness. There is, however, finding moments that make us smile, bring a warm feeling in our hearts, and lifts our spirits. 

A church building doesn’t bring happiness. It’s just a building. But the experience within the walls, the sermons felt, and the fellowship with friends is what warms our soul. For the record, I don’t attend church. My spiritual studies are done in private. I remember church experiences from my youth. 

Take time each day to search for new experiences. This is a must as we get older. What made us happy in our 20’s will most likely annoy us in our 40’s. Trust me; the club scene is not what it use to be, and forget about staying out all night. If the sun’s down, I’m down. How else could I be up at 3 a.m. writing this blog? 

Anywho, just as we cannot control the scent of a rose, we cannot control what makes us happy. Sure, jumping off of a cliff and catching an updraft in a hang-glider looks fun. But I just can’t see myself doing it. This brings me to another point. Never force happiness. If we try something new and it doesn’t make us happy. Move on. We are not expected to like everything, and our joy is not others’ responsibility.  

We all want to find happiness, and we all want that feeling to stay. Like a sine wave on an oscilloscope, our emotions will go up and down. This is a natural rhythm that everyone experiences. Don’t take the small things in life for granted. Focus on the positive things, count our blessings daily, and relax. These are the things we can do to find our happiness. 

Never think that you do not deserve to be happy. You deserve happiness. There is nothing we can do to change the past. We can dwell on it, go nowhere, or move on. Late-night thoughts can hound us and build a case on why we don’t deserve happiness. Memories of our mistakes get stuck in a loop as we watch our ignorance play over and over. 

Come to terms with these memories. 

Yes, we do stupid things. Welcome to being human. 

Until the next blog, get some rest, stop worrying, and find life’s happiness.