Being Happy: Is it a Choice or a Matter of Chance? [2021]

What is the meaning of Life?

If you paused and thought about your life right now and may give it a title, what would it be? How do you feel about your life? Can you sum it up in a single word? Is it a happy or unhappy one? Do you feel that life hasn't given you your due - that it has been unfair and cheated you? If you do,, you might even feel irritated that I have asked you this question.

Suppose somebody has rejected you, treated you unfairly, or humiliated you; wouldn't it be an expression of weakness on your part if you didn't feel affronted and justifiable angry? And if the person who has caused all the distress also happens to be a loved one, someone you have done a lot for, don't you have a right to feel sorry for yourself? In these circumstances, what choice do you possibly have? How can you hope to be happy if the circumstances are not?

Well if your understanding is that circumstances create your state, then, of course, you are right. You can't hope to be content if everything around you isn't as you desire. As long as you believe this, you will regularly feel helpless, trapped, powerless, lost, victimized, and resentful. You feel victimized when your capacity to cope seems dwarfed in comparison to the circumstances you are faced with. You feel "small" and powerless; the situation appears to be big and menacing.

Is there any other way you can get out of this state? I believe that there is. 

" What is the meaning of Life? To be happy and useful." _ H.H.The Dalai Lama

Consider this statement: Circumstances don't define the quality of your life; your response to them does. You can't control or change the "externals" in your life. The only part you do exercise some control over is the "internals": your mind, thoughts, and emotions. No matter what the stimulus, you still have the power, if you wish to acknowledge it, to choose how you respond and how much "power" or significance you allot to those external situations.

You can choose to react with hatred and bitterness at one end of the scale or with love and gratitude at the other. And there are numerous shades in between. You can leave it to others to " fix"  things for you, or you can begin right away to fix how you feel about things. You can choose to hold on or let go. It is the latter choice that decides your level of happiness, contentment, peace, fulfillment, call it what you will.

" The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind" - Dr.Wayne W. Dyre

If you have chosen to take responsibility for yourself and live in an empowered manner, you, too, may feel upset, let down, or anxious  - but not for long. You will become aware that you are falling into an unnecessary trap and will snap right out of it. Instead of blaming others around you, you will see that it's your mind and Ego ( Energy Goes Out), that have temporarily gripped you. Perhaps you are depleted energetically and this has allowed this to happen. You will focus now on getting balanced within so that external situation, no matter how troublesome, ceases to irk you.

Do you realize that your response would determine the quality of your life? In other words, you can be as "happy" or "unhappy" as you choose to be. This realization can be very liberating and if you feel a thrill of excitement or hope as you read this article, you are taking the first step of a highly rewarding journey. It's one that will enable you to become empowered rather than remaining a victim. Until now, you may have felt that you were at the mercy of circumstances and the people around you, not to mention life in general and even the quality of your mind.

You can make a paradigm shift right now by taking your power back from all the places where it has been scattered. First of all, allow the understanding to seep in that external power, which supported you, is an unfaithful mistress and can't be relied upon. Real power, real stability, and real security lie within you; and perhaps you have never even looked at them.