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Sometimes life seems to be so
unfair. But is it really? Why do
some people seem to get everything
they want and go around almost
flaunting their happiness, while
others seem born to lives of
drudgery, misery and lack? It
appears as though some people are
just luckier than others when it
comes to the life elements that lead
to happiness. My own experience is
that luck has very little to do with
it.
Abraham Lincoln said, “Most people are about as happy as they decide to be.” I think he was really on to something. Consider this: since 2001, I have been hospitalized 33 times. I have undergone open-heart surgery, congestive heart failure, diabetic coma, serious skin cancer followed by plastic surgery, 2000 laser shots as well as major surgery on both my eyes followed by almost 3 years of blindness, crippling arthritis, a staph infection followed by five months of daily intravenous drugs which destroyed my kidney function and caused me to go on dialysis three times a week for about five hours per session, gangrene in my foot which led to the amputation of my right leg, a serious sleep disorder, suicidal depression, and on March 9 of 2007 a cracked pelvis which put me in the hospital again for 19 days and will keep me from walking for about two months. I lost the ability to read, to have sex, to dance and ride my bike, to exercise the way I loved, to drive a car, to do anything productive on the three days I spend in dialysis. I have suffered more intense pain than most people do. I have heard some people say that I have had more than my share of bad luck. I totally disagree. As I look back on my life, almost all of my luck has been good. Almost without exception, all of my misfortune has been the result of poor decisions on my part. More to the point, I am happier than anyone I know. And I don’t believe it’s because I am just luckier than most people. I lived through all of my hard times because it is not in my nature to give up. The reason I am so happy, though, is because about six months ago I discovered Deepak Chopra’s Creating Affluence, and took to heart what he has to say about happiness. The Goal of All Goals On page 38 of Creating Affluence, Chopra has this to say: “H stands for happiness and humanity and the fact that we are here to make all humans we come into contact with happy. Life naturally evolves in the direction of happiness. We must constantly ask ourselves if what we are doing is going to make us, and those around us, happy. Because happiness is the ultimate goal. It is the goal of all other goals. When we seek money, or a good relationship, or a great job, what we are really seeking is happiness. The mistake we make is not going for happiness first. If we did, everything else would follow.” Definition of Happiness The New Heritage Dictionary defines happiness as “good fortune, pleasure, contentment, joy, exhilaration, bliss, satisfaction. Possession of what one considers good. Cheerful.” I would add to this that happiness for me includes a lack of misery regardless of circumstance. How to Be Happy My experience has taught me that long-term happiness requires some effort. For me to be consistently happy, I must do the following:
The life purpose I have chosen for
myself is to put my attention and my
intention on being happy; to try to
make everyone I encounter happier
than they were before I met them;
and to do whatever I can to promote
peace in my world.
My Code of Values On page 57 of Creating Affluence, Chopra says the following: “V stands for values:
The great Indian poet Tagore says
“when we feel beauty, we know it as
truth.” Without values, there is
confusion and chaos. When values
disintegrate everything
disintegrates. Health disintegrates,
poverty attains dominance over
affluence, societies and
civilizations crumble. When we pay
attention to these values that
society has always held sacred, then
order emerges out of chaos, and the
field of pure potentiality inside us
becomes all powerful, creating
anything it desires.”
I have added the following values to my personal code:
The Game Plan
Can I possibly achieve all of these lofty goals? Of course not! The point is that trying to live this way every day has made me happier than I have ever been. That’s the beauty of it. You don’t have to succeed, you only have to try. The effort alone will improve your life. I guarantee it. I use the following checklist to start my day. You might consider creating one for yourself which supports your own life purpose.
Decide right now:
Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life! Please stay well and
happy. And know that you are loved.
P.S. Money did not occur to me while considering my requirements for happiness. Am I crazy? Possibly…
If you'd like to receive more free
information from Rick on his secrets
to enjoying life and creating
abundance, go to
http://www.thesecretofattraction.com
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