Making the choices that serve our life’s priorities, goals, and values is not always easy or straightforward. We are constantly influenced by our peers, the conflicting messages in our heads, other people’s expectations, the media, you name it. Caught as we are in the hamster wheel of everyday life, we keep going without taking the time to reevaluate our direction.

We live in a society that’s obsessed with the “personality” paradigm. There is a prevailing attitude of endless competition. People’s sense of success is often based on the bottom line of their bank accounts, on how big a house they live in, on what kind of car they drive, on what clothes they wear and on what school their kids go to.

We have reality shows, trends, information overload and many versions of the truth vying for our attention. There are experts, gurus, and best selling authors. There are the latest theories of how to get rich, get happy, get popular, get a face lift, a better body or find the right partner.

These days there is a pill for everything. It’s a miracle how the human race was able to survive without all the medications that are available to us today. Right around now, I could start talking about the good old days but I don’t buy it. Every era has its challenges.

What we all want is to be happy. What we don’t know is . . . how to go about it! We keep trying different things. Along the way, we get distracted by all the background noise and we lose our focus. We put our trust and faith in something outside of ourselves. Whether it’s things or so-called “experts,” we forget that the only place where we can find true happiness lies inside . . . here and now.

We complicate things. We get distracted by other people’s interpretation of what it means to be happy. Take a look around and you’ll know what I mean. How many people, who have exactly what you’d like to have, are truly happy?

If people are happy competing, winning and acquiring, then how come they can never be satisfied? Wanting and chasing after something is not the same as enjoying something, is it? It’s like being addicted to being hungry. We keep trying to satisfy our hunger and it’s just not happening.

Maybe we need to rethink the way we go about it. What if we stopped running, chasing and agonizing? What if we stopped and listened and looked at all that’s in our life already? Why not recognize what we have and honor this first?

To be happy, we need a strong backbone. Only then, can we say no to outside influence. Only then, can we create our reality and live in it consciously. Happiness doesn’t mean never having any problems. Happiness doesn’t mean never having to experience any pain or failure.

Happiness is about living the life we have, doing the best we can and being ourselves, taking responsibility for our experience and sharing our gifts. That’s the person I want to be. Then again, that’s my interpretation and it works for me. What works for you?

© 2010 Yota Schneider, Open for Success.May be distributed if full attribution is given and copyright notice is included. Contact yota@openforsuccess.com

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