Who is Responsible For Your Happiness?

A note from peter@thewealthyattitude.com for Tuesday August 11, 2009

Welcome all to this very fine Tuesday.

With all of the stuff that folks are dealing with right now it very easy to forget some of the ineffable guiding tenets that make our lives incredible.

Many delightful authors that support us here at The Wealthy Attitude are really stepping up to the plate is amazing ways. They are going above and beyond to bring forward messages that cause each of us to sit up and pay attention to the truth of our lives.

Today, one of our favorite writers provides us with an opportunity to clarify.....

Who is Responsible For Your Happiness?
by Warren Wojnowski

Do you feel unhappy and trapped in your present circumstances? It's not an uncommon feeling, especially in today's modern world. And it's easy to believe you're trapped without choices, that you're somehow at the mercy of everything and everyone around you ... that somehow your happiness depends on things over which you have no control.

Let me ask you this question: who is responsible for your happiness? Shouldn't it be you?

I'm here to tell you that you have complete and total control over your happiness. If you find that hard to believe, let me explain.

1. Your happiness is your Choice. If you're unhappy with where you are, recognize you are where you are because of the choices and decisions you've made up to now in your life. This is something that you may or may not at first blush agree with and it's something that took me a long time to understand. We're conditioned to believe we have no choices. We live where we live because that's where our parents lived. We work where we work because it's the only job we believe we can get. The result is that we tend to get stuck in the status quo because we believe we have no choice. Yet the truth is we always have a choice and, in fact, doing nothing to change our circumstances is in itself, a choice. If you don't like your job, why not look for another one? If you don't want a job, why not start your own business? If you don't like where you live, why not look for somewhere else to live? Too often, we get caught in the trap of waiting for something or someone else to bring change to us, failing to realize that our happiness is our responsibility and no one else's. You always have a choice to accept things the way they are or to begin to do something about it.
   
2. Choose your own thoughts. Taking personal responsibility for your happiness begins by beginning to deliberately choose your thoughts. Rather than buying into all of the "no you can't" monkey chatter, start to deliberately think "yes I can". When you start deliberately choosing your thoughts, all of a sudden you begin to feel inspired and you start to look at the world and your circumstances in another way. You begin to see opportunities rather than problems. You begin to shift your mindset away from being a victim of your circumstances.
   
3. Take the action. Once you begin to choose your own thoughts and start identifying opportunities, you begin to feel inspired. You start to feel yourself compelled to take certain actions that will begin to move you towards what you want. The minute you begin to take actions, you've begun the cycle of assuming responsibility for your results -- and for your happiness. If you're not willing or afraid to take an action, ask yourself how badly you really want change. If you really want it badly enough, then take responsibility for initiating the action. There's no point waiting for someone else to because that's only going to prolong the current situation in which you're unhappy.

Would you like more information about how to take personal responsibility for your own happiness? I've co-written an entire program that reveals how easily you can begin to discover and experience true happiness, starting today. Sign up for my free introductory eCourse here: Life Happiness Secrets

Warren Wojnowski is an avid student of personal growth and self improvement. He is a respected writer, teacher and Intrinsic Coach® who is very willing to share what he's learned (or still learning), what's working, and what isn't. Warren says "If you have an aspect of your life in which you feel stuck, whether in your life or your business, I can help you get back on track and start living the life you want.