Musings: Waiting To Be Happy…?
“Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you’ve got to make yourself.” Alice Walker
Musings: Waiting To Be Happy…? Start NOW!
“You must make a decision that you are going to move on. It wont happen automatically. You will have to rise up and say, ‘I don’t care how hard this is, I don’t care how disappointed I am, I’m not going to let this get the best of me. I’m moving on with my life.” Joel Osteen
I met my friend Cheryl for coffee at Starbucks today. We hadn’t seen each other in ages and we were excited to meet, share coffee and a good laugh, and catch up on our lives. Cheryl has always had a good sense of humor and an easy smile, and I wondered out loud how we let life’s unrelenting demands interrupt the flow of our friendship. Needless to say, a lot has happened since we last hung out and, as we joyfully shared our stories back and forth, we paused to comment on the magical quality of true friendship.
The bond of friendship remains strong even when we leave to meet other challenges. When we return, the joy and happiness flow freely like a stream that never dries up. We have to choose to return though, and, like happiness, waiting for the perfect time/day/hour/ moment to make that connection is a waste of precious energy. Our time to be happy, to bond with friends, to make amends, to abandon inconsiderate habits is now. We must decide to make peace with our old painful stories and move on for the sake of our happiness. What are we waiting for?
“Waiting for someone else to make you happy is the surest way to be sad.” Jeffrey Benjamin
Musings: Waiting To Be Happy…? Choose it.
“If you know you have to wait anyway, why not make a decision to enjoy your life while you’re waiting? Why not be happy while God is in the process of changing things? After all, there’s nothing we can really do to make it happen any faster. We might as well relax and enjoy our lives, knowing that at the appointed time God is going to bring his plan to pass.” Joel Osteen
After our coffee and chat, we walked over to Mrs Greens Market to see what new products they carried; they carry lots of organic products and window shopping there is a great way to learn about new produce and products in the marketplace. As we walked up and down the crowded aisles, we were struck by the explosion of color from all the displayed items competing for our attention. They had an endless selection of teas, soaps, skin care and food products for sale.
Aisle after aisle, I thought how fortunate some people are in the US to have such choices, yet, how sad it is that many in our world don’t have the option to choose their foods. When we stop to think about the inequities in society we realize that some might take longer to resolve and we can help by being proactive. We can volunteer our skills and knowledge, and commit to help/serve each other… Happiness will meet us there too. It is ironic that in the midst of such abundance, there is abject poverty here in the US. We can choose to make a difference; even if our lives are not perfect. Soon, Cheryl and I came to a card display with tons of inspiring messages. I took lots of pictures; some I’ve shared here too. More below!
“Some things put life into perspective more than others. Happiness depends on your outlook on life.” Polly Sachs
Musings: Waiting To Be Happy…? Be a Blessing!
“Many people are unhappy and are not experiencing life to its fullest because they’ve closed their hearts to compassion, they are motivated by only what they want and what they think they need. They rarely do anything for anybody else unless they have an ulterior goal in mind. They are self-involved and self-centered.” Joel Osteen
We left Mrs Greens without buying anything, though a lady in cosmetics gave us some free samples to use. It was a happy outing and although both of us, like many of you, have our burdens to bear, we chose to focus on the good and find ways to help change the unpleasant. Please find even one thing to be grateful for… What are we waiting for?
Stay Inspired! What are your thoughts? Have you been waiting to be happy? Do you believe that your happiness is a choice to make? Do you see the power of gratitude in your life? Do share! Thank you.
*Please bear with me as I continue to catch up on your blogs and commenting… Thank you all for your patience!
Positive Motivation Tip: Stop waiting for conditions to improve. Be happy Now.
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos from my Personal Collection.
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
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What a wonderful post! I don’t know what it is, Eliz, but when I read your inspiring messages, I always seem to recall adages that I haven’t thought about in years. To that point, this post brought to mind some things my Dad always used to say:
“Things have a way of working out.” (And that is a condensed version of a Bible verse, paraphrasing, “Things work out for those that love the Lord.” And more simply.
“Folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
We can’t always control our circumstances. And we certainly can’t control the circumstances of a world full of sadness. But we CAN control our attitude.
Thank you Freedom for sharing your wisdom too. I love the quotes from your dad and they resonate with me too. 🙂
You have been nominated for the Illuminating Blogger Award. http://floatingwiththebreeze.wordpress.com/2012/07/03/illuminating-blogger-award/ 🙂
TY so much for the award … I must visit to thank you on your blog. Pardon my delay but I’m still batting lingering colds… 🙂
Fantastic post., M&M. You are so right of course. We can only be as happy as we make up our minds to be. 😉
Thank you and I find that these messages are important reminders for me too. 🙂
The true test of friendship is when you have long separations and yet pick up right where you left off upon your next meeting. Nothing better!
b
Exactly… and it makes us appreciate the time and effort we invested in the friendship even more. 😉
I just wrote on friendship …45+ years with friends from High School…If you are happy being YOU…then happiness comes easy…I so believe this! …Good post as alaways…~mkg
TY Mkg and you have spoken wisely. 😉
I love this post and the message of the 2nd card. I needed to hear it. Some of us sit around waiting for the approval of people who either don’t care or don’t have the inner gravitas to be kind to others. Self love is important. This is food for thought.
B
TY and I agree! If we spend our time waiting for the approval of others, we’d never accomplish our heartfelt goals. I’ve learned a lot over the years; but especially as a blogger, I’ve learned to focus on the work at hand … 🙂
Be happy now. Yes, I have stopped waiting for happiness, because…guess what? I AM happy now. Sometimes you don’t even realize it. I love my husband, my son, my home and my life. We may move on at some point, but NOW… I am happy!
Good for you Petchary! I feel your joy! 🙂
Nice! A good reminder to be grateful for the things and choices we have. It can be rather surprising to know that in certain parts of their world, their choices are nonexistent due to socioeconomic factors, etc.
It sure is surprising and we often forget because we live in different conditions. 😉
I am very inspired by your reporting of your outing with your friend, Cheryl! This is what true friends do, just savor each moment and each observation with each other! I am SO blessed to experience these kinds of interludes every day–because God is helping me so much to learn how to creatively make myself truely AVAILABLE to other people. And I am finding that in this say, I am of much more use to myself! Hooray!
TY for your insights and Good for you Granbee! Hooray to the grace we acknowledge in our lives. 🙂
Isn’t it great to spend a carefree, worry-free day in the cloak of friendship? Friends can even enjoy one another’s silences, can’t they? I’ve learned, through my blogging community, including you, that finding just a few things every day of which to be grateful somehow makes the day special.
TY Teresa! I was thinking about you and then I saw your message… The cloak of friendship is so special… 🙂
Happiness is a choice for even saints have been recorded as being happy while choosing a life of sacrifice for their love of the Divine One.
I loved your photos with the inspiring messages…way cool. 🙂
That is true… and the saints suffered tremendously for their beliefs…
Very inspiring! We can find happiness is even the smallest things if we stop long enough to pay attention.
Well said Fergie… and it doesn’t need any fanfare. 😉
Even when times were reallyreally horrid I was always happy and positive, I am one of those people who are irritatingly happy and can’t see the point of anything else.
I am blessed with special friendships like you and value them so much 🙂
Good for you Gilly! Optimism is an uncommon gift. Some folk prefer to look at the world through the lens of “what’s in it for me…?” and when others are good to them, they invent a motive…. What a waste of time!
I’ve found that when I stay focused, things eventually work themselves out… that is life. I’m an optimist too. 🙂
Very valuable lessons in this post, Elizabeth. For a long time, I used to think when will life just get back to normal! And then after a while I realized that this is normal! Life is an endless series of ups and downs and once we reach adulthood we have to rely on ourselves to to get through each trial and tribulation. And while those close to us can provide support, the attitude with which we tackle the vicissitudes is up to us as individuals, nobody else.
Excellent points! Until we make the decision to honor our lives and love who we are as we are, we will continue to be swayed by the fickle indecisions of others… and that is not a healthy place to be. 🙂
Wonderful post. I have a friend in Australia just like your’s. We coffee and Skype now until we see each other next time in person. Feeling very inspired by your writing and am always grateful for even the smallest blessing. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I love all the cards. The words are really lovely. I meet with three wonderful and good friends once every month at a chosen restaurant for lunch. Sometimes, we also go to each other’s homes on a rotative basis for lunch bringing our children and having fun. It’s relaxing and we see this as a way of sharing our problems, advising each other and bonding together. I will not give this up for the world.
We aren’t waiting for happiness at all at the moment! I know you’ve been busy, so here’s the latest – we are moving house AND John’s Permanent Residency has been granted!!!!!
Making your own happy is what it’s all about right?! This was an excellent reminder. xoxo
I loved this so much I sent it to my son via email…also shared it via facebook to my daughter’s timeline!
I’m running out the door so don’t have time for a longer reply, only a big THANK YOU!
Great words of wisdom!
Inspiring, as always! 🙂