100% Happy? 100% of the Time?
That's Impossible! Are you Naive?

~I Know~

"100% happy 100% of the time...are you naive?" Most people don't ASK me this question, but anytime I tell them it's possible to be constantly happy, they look at me like I'm a fool!

I am not naive.  

• I know it is impossible to go through life constantly wearing rose-colored glasses. 
• I know that everybody has bad days/weeks/months/years.  
• I know that people make mistakes.  
• I know sometimes it is easier to stay stuck in a rut and be miserable than it is to change some, or all aspects of one’s life to be totally happy.  
• I know some people think they ARE happy and do not need to make a change.  
• I know there are those who think that it is impossible to be happy based on things they have done in their past...that they do NOT deserve to be happy.  
• I know that almost every person’s definition of happiness can differ from everybody else’s opinion.  
• I know that if a person were to be happy constantly that the whole concept of happiness would be a moot point.  
• I know that people HAVE to have unhappy times in order to appreciate the happy times. 
  
  I know...I know...I know. 

I am not naive.

However, it IS possible for you to be completely happy! 

The last sentence coupled with the paragraph before it may seem like a paradox, but I know that when you are in the middle of it, that is, in the middle of your season of happiness (let us call it that for now), even if you ARE having a bad day/week/month/year, you know it will get better, you know you can bounce back from anything, and you know you can still consider yourself happy.  This knowledge by itself should increase your happiness!

There are many people in the world...each individual has their own story, their own experiences, and their own feelings. It would be foolish to think that I could write a couple of words of encouragement about being happy and assume that people will automatically become happy.

I wish it WAS that easy, but it is not. There is some work involved.  When one is changing his/her life, it is work.  I, personally, have not had the easiest life, but I have not had the hardest life, either. I DO know that the trials I have faced and overcome in my life have made me stronger and more enlightened about the subject.

Everybody has been given trials of some sort or another. Those trials were meant for that one person and nobody else, so it is impossible to compare your life to any other soul alive. I have seen people in the most dire of circumstances come out of the fire smiling. You can do that too!!

Happiness is somewhat of a subjective term so our first point of order is to determine what happiness is.  It is hard to pinpoint what true, pure happiness looks like or feels like because it can be measured differently for every person.  However, from my observations of people, from my research into cultures and diversities, and from my own life’s lessons, we can probably find a common ground that will be satisfactory to all concerned.

If you disagree with my prognosis, please let me know, that we may come to a mutual understanding. I will attempt to explain my ideas so as many people as possible may come to agree, however, I am not naive, not everybody will agree with me. Aesop had a fable whose moral was, “you please all and you please none.” I will do my best to please as many people as possible, but, unfortunately, not all of you will fall into that category.

If you DO fit into the category of “not pleased,” please put aside yourself for a moment and try to see it from my perspective. I will do everything in my power to make it comfortable, understandable, and enjoyable. I thrive on making sure people are happy...it is my mission. I get a little depressed if I can’t accomplish that goal...so help me to help you.

Oh great, I just opened a can of worms there, didn’t I? I just said if I cannot make you happy, I get a little depressed. Does that mean that I am not happy anymore? The answer is a resounding “No!!” How could I then be the happiest man in the world? Here is the amazing answer to that question.

As I said before, it is inevitable that we are going to have times in our lives when we are hurting, whether it is physically, or emotionally, or spiritually, or any other “ly.” But those times do NOT have to stop us from being happy. It may put a damper on your elation...it may slow down the joy that you love to feel, it may even stop you numb in your tracks. It has happened to me numerous times. Yet the happiness does not have to leave you while you are experiencing the down times, or the doldrums, or, as I call them, the “down-drums.”

You can STAY happy...Constantly! 

Here's how...

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