How many times have you heard: ‘Just do what makes you happy! Don’t worry, just be happy!” We feel if it makes us happy, it must be right. Then the goal of life seems to be happiness. Our culture teaches us to just chase it. It appears to be a sunny day in a land of cloudy skies, rainy days. Often, it is good news when bad news could be a possibility (like results on a medical test). 

Happiness is an emotion, but it is fleeting. It can be a sudden flash–here now but gone too soon. Just look at how we buy cars. If it makes us happy, we just purchase the car. Then a few commercials later, another car looks better. On another hand, just look at children Christmas morning–so excited! But two weeks later they have exited their excitement. Or often a win in sports creates massive happiness yet dissipates too quickly because now another win is needed. 

Happiness, therefore, seems to be dependent on happenings, happenings in our “now” life. Don’t get me wrong. Happiness is a good thing and is often taken for granted. However, rather than seeking happiness as a goal to be achieved, we can focus on practicing happiness. 

Happiness is an emotion that can sprout out of joy, which is constant, the foundation, the spiritual, the internal not the external. Then happiness becomes an attitude, a state of mind. It can be daily, not an occasional occurrence like sun in a coastal Alaska village or rain in the desert.

How to practice happiness? By this grateful attitude, believing it is a daily gift to be treasured. 

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