In The Varieties of Religious Experience, William James wrote: “If we were to ask the question: ‘What is human life's chief concern?’ one of the answers we should receive would be: ‘It is happiness.’”
Here then are 7 Elegant Truths About Happiness for Your Reading Pleasure.
1. Happiness does not mean not having any problems.
I used to assume that “Once I don’t have any problems, then I’ll be happy.” But now that I’m older, I realize that’s not how it works.
Once I stopped waiting for all my problems to go away, I became much happier.
2. If you can't be happy today, tomorrow probably won't be much better.
I used to think that when my problems went away, I’d be happy; so I was always waiting for “tomorrow”. Of course, the tomorrow when I was happy never came.
I finally came to understand that one of the secrets to happiness is to be grateful for everything I have and stop waiting for problems to disappear.
3. If you're not happy now, you're probably asking the wrong questions.
Many people are unconsciously asking disempowering questions like:
- Why am I so unhappy?
- or How come I can’t catch a break?
Every question you ask is a thought-seed you plant in your brain. When you ask lousy questions, you’ll get lousy answers – which leads to a lousy life.
That’s one reason I invented Afformations® – empowering questions that immediately change your subconscious thought patterns from negative to positive.
4. If you're not happy with your job, it's because of something you're afraid to do.
I wasted years in the wrong career because I was scared to do what I really wanted to do. I wanted to write books, be a keynote speaker, and lead seminars around the world; but I wasted years of my life because I was too afraid to follow my dreams.
Since I finally found the courage to pursue my dreams, I’ve been blessed to deliver keynote speeches around the world and coach CEOs, business executives and sales managers to improve performance and profits.
**When a client isn’t happy with their job, I’ve found it’s usually because of something they’re scared to do
.**
Do you want to write a book? Grow your business? Make a change?
All of these will require you to be courageous enough to face your fear. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is action in the face of fear. And happiness is something you’ll find on the other side of your fear.
5. If you're not happy with your spouse/partner/significant other, it's because of something you're afraid to talk about.
For four and a half years, I lived with a woman who told me every day that I was nothing without her, that I had no value, that I had to change in order to be good enough. I was miserable every day and ended up $40,000 in credit card debt. But I was too scared to leave her because I believed what she told me – that I had to stay with her because no one would ever love me.
When I finally realized the truth – that it was only my fear that was keeping me stuck – I finally found the courage to leave her.
It was the scariest day of my life. But today, I’m happily married to the love of my life – a beautiful woman who sees me and supports me for who I am.
I’m not suggesting that anyone should leave their spouse or partner.
But I do know that if I had continued to let my fears rule me, I never would have found true happiness.
6. Choosing the right spouse is the number one determinant of happiness. Period.
I’ve been with the wrong people and now I’m with the right person. Hell is waking up each morning and hating being the person you’re with.
Heaven is waking up each morning and going, “Finally, the right one. Thank you God!”
7. Gratitude is the most perfect path to happiness.
Marcus Tullius Cicero wrote: “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” It is impossible to be grateful and unhappy at the same time.
Noah’s Note: Train your brain to be grateful for what you have, and happiness will find you, even where you least expect it.
Noah St. John is a keynote speaker and best-selling author who is famous for inventing Afformations® and helping busy executives and mission-driven entrepreneurs enjoy personal and financial freedom. His sought-after advice is known as the “secret sauce” in business and personal growth.
Noah’s dynamic and down-to-earth speaking style always gets high marks from audiences. As the leading authority on how to eliminate limiting beliefs, Noah delivers live programs and online courses that have been called “the only training that FIXES every other training!” Get Noah’s new book FREE at www.NoahStJohn.com - AND - Get Noah’s new video training series on his Performance & Profit secrets to get unstuck and automate your business FREE at www.PerformanceandProfit.com
