The Pursuit of Happiness

Perhaps if one really knew when one was happy one would know the things that were necessary for one's life.
~Joanna Field

There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.
~Robert Louis Stevenson

Have you ever felt like there is something missing from your life...yet you aren't quite sure what it is? People are always saying...do what makes you happy...the rest will follow. Are these people following this same mantra? It seems more than one of us is walking around wondering what exactly our purpose on the earth is for. Are we living our purpose...or is there more to it? How do you know if this is what you are supposed to be doing?
This year...my goal is to pursue happiness.
It seems most of us...or women at least...spend all their time trying to make everyone around them happy....that they often forget what makes themselves happy. I think I've fallen into this category. I've forgot what it is that truly makes me happy. Does it make me selfish that I want to be happy....I often think it does.
Don't get me wrong...I'm very grateful for everything I have. But being grateful and happy I think are two different things...yet they also go hand in hand. Go figure.
I've discovered a lot of little things that make me happy....yet in order to really enjoy these things, it seems I have to give up other things. How is this fair? Is that how life works?
A friend of mine (well...more than one) keeps telling me I deserve to be happy. Doesn't everyone? Don't think I'm living in this life of despair...I'm not. But something is missing, I can't deny that. I think I just have to stop feeling guilty for wanting to be happy.
So in my pursuit of happiness....I'm going to learn to savor the small things that bring me contentment. I'm going to laugh more. I'm going to become more aware of what truly makes me happy. I'm going to learn to appreciate each day as a new one to explore. The pursuit of happiness isn't a luxury....it's a right...isn't it?
Sarah Ban Breathnach writes that "the magic seeds of contentment are planted deep within us. Happiness that the world cannot take away only flourishes in the secret garden of our souls."
So, on my journey in the pursuit of happiness....I hope others will join me. If you haven't discovered what makes you happy, why not do it now? What are you waiting for?

It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth --- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up --- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.
~Elisabeth Kubler Ross