Blog for July 4, 2022
Inside Job
“Happiness is an inside job.” You’ve probably heard that before. But what exactly does it mean? And why is it so hard sometimes to find (and hold onto) your happiness? If you feel like negative events tend to have a big effect on you, or like your emotional state is out of your control, you’re definitely not alone. But studies have shown that happiness really is an inside job — you just need the right tools. Hugo
There is nothing new about knowing that our own happiness is up to us, it’s an inside job. It’s not about our cars, jobs, homes, X amount of friends and adoring fans. It’s not how much money we have or the places we’ve been. Being content and ok with ourselves goes much deeper than that.
For the most part, I feel I do have it, I have worked hard on myself, worked my steps and turned my will and my life over to the care of a loving God. Still, I slip back into the idea from time to time that my happiness comes from other sources. Entertainment, the love of my family and friends, going places and having things. I’m not so much about the “stuff” anymore, but the relationships do play a big part on my insides.
Today is the Fourth of July and I feel like us becoming a sovereign nation was for sure an inside job. The Revolutionary war was fought from within the boundaries of our borders and the confines of what is now called “Independence Hall” in Philadelphia Pa. Our founding forefathers had to look hard within themselves to come up with our new government and make sure that we all know and live by “all men (& women) are created equal, and we have inalienable rights we are naturally born with. Thank God that our forefathers knew that and put it into The Declaration of Independence. Pretty cool huh?!
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
There you have it, the pursuit of happiness. In pursuing our happiness, most people head towards a good job, a career, making money. Having a safe, comfortable place to live, being with family. Pursuing our goals and dreams.
Our “pursuit” can also be an inside job. I think of Step Eleven at this point. I already mentioned Step Three, turning our will and our lives over to the care of a loving God, this is meant to be a one-time event, but it can be as many times as you need until you believe it for real. But in Step Eleven, it’s a regular, even daily event. We continue to seek His will for us and ask for the power to carry it out.
All the steps are designed for us to dig deeper, to go within, to learn our motives, defenses and patterns of destruction and victimization. We learn to forgive and become the strong, spiritual people we were born to be. In that place, we can find healing, peace and our happiness.
I had the honor of spending a day at the beach with some of my beautiful and awesome nieces and nephews a couple of days ago. Our family has a deep and abiding love for one another, they bring me much happiness to be around. As do my husband and children. My wonderful, strong friends that walk-through hardships of life and come out even stronger also bring me a lot of happiness.
Yes sir, it’s an “inside job” I believe it is powered by gratitude, being of service to one another and love. To me, this is where true, deep happiness comes from, only with the help of my God. These… are the right tools.
Question of the Day: Where do you find your happiness?
