(Principles are basic truths that, when applied, cause success to come to you easier and quicker.)
Happiness. Contentment. Joy. Different words, used to evoke a similar response, namely, feeling very, very good.
What happens when you’re happy? Do you like how it feels?
Then who is responsible for your happiness?
If your answer is anything other than “Me,” you might want to look deeper. If you expect or require your happiness to come from the behavior of others, you have set yourself up for unhappiness. And you put a great burden on those relationships which, ironically, makes happiness derived from them less certain.
You are the only person responsible for your happiness. You may well find happiness in relating with others, in fact you probably will: living life separate-from is usually not very satisfying. But to abdicate your responsibility for your happiness is not a strong place from which to come.
The only way you can be happy is to decide to be happy. Everything else cascades from that decision.
Coaching Point: Have you decided to be happy? Are you responsible for your happiness?
Copyright 2009 Steve Straus. All rights reserved.