Don't worry, be happy

Everyone is constantly looking for happiness. For me personally, I usually get my moments of happiness from the little things. I know that sounds like a horrible cliché but I can honestly really enjoy good food, a nice view, the right song coming up or well, whatever really; the little things. However, I’ve learned a lesson about that a couple of months back that I would like to share.

The thing is that all those little things, no matter how good, are all external and that’s a tricky thing. It could be that you’re just not seeing them anymore, or not feeling them anymore, and that might make it seem as if life isn’t all that great anymore. Without being too specific, basically what happened is that I was a bit down after my England adventure and I was a bit too preoccupied with what I was supposed to do with my life to see all the good stuff that I used to enjoy in Rotterdam.

After a particularly down day I picked up a book about happiness. Happiness according to Jesus, to be specific. It helped me to refocus on what I actually find important. In my case that consisted of a lot of Christian values that I’d been seriously neglecting, such as honesty and kindness. I realised that I wasn’t happy about the things I was doing and that searching for happiness in the little things when you’re in that mindset is pretty much useless.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to force Christianity on anyone. The thing I’m saying is that focusing on what’s going on internally is really important. So, whether you value kindness or honesty or just getting the most out of your life, in my experience refocusing on those things so you can actually start to feel good about what you’re doing is a huge step towards being content. It’s not a magic fix, nor will it fix more heavy issues such as depression, but it could be just the thing to break through certain patterns and to make your life a bit more meaningful and fulfilling.