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What Is The Pursuit Of Happiness?

Written by: Adam Sonnhalter

Article Overview: As a new President is inaugurated in the U.S., I've seen and heard a lot of discussions regarding our forefathers. One concept that struck me is the idea of the "pursuit of happiness" which is spelled out in the Declaration of Independence. Did you notice, they left out the path for that pursuit? I mean, the next line in the Declaration of Independence doesn't say, "and this is how Happiness should be pursued."

What Is The Pursuit Of Happiness?

As a new President is inaugurated in the U.S., I've seen and heard a lot of discussions regarding our forefathers. One concept that struck me is the idea of the "pursuit of happiness" which is spelled out in the Declaration of Independence.

Did you notice, they left out the path for that pursuit? I mean, the next line in the Declaration of Independence doesn't say, "and this is how Happiness should be pursued."

One of the great things about our country is that we provide people the freedom to choose their path to happiness. So what path are you on?

Let me introduce you to the one person who has the control to your happiness. Stand up and find a mirror, any mirror. Take a hard look in that mirror. Study the person staring back at you. You're the one who has absolute control of your happiness.

If you are truly happy, congratulations! There aren't enough of us out here. Not sure what happiness looks like? Find someone who is doing something they love. Follow them around and observe what they do. Ask them lots of questions about why they enjoy so much what it is they are doing. Ask them how they discovered what makes them happy.

Let me back up for a second. Maybe I should start by defining happiness. Dictionary.com defines happiness as "good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy". Not bad, but I prefer to keep it simple. Happiness to me is doing what you love.

Now, if you're like most people, there are probably lots of things you love. It could be as simple as eating your favorite ice cream on a hot summer day. It could be volunteering at a local soup kitchen to provide meals to those in need. Or traveling around the world experiencing different cultures, or being with your family, in the wild with animals, on the golf course, flying a plane, and the list goes on and on and on.

The true key to happiness in my book is finding those things you love to do and spending as many of your waking hours doing them as you can and being self-sufficient while you're at it! So, since the majority of us spend the biggest chunk of our waking hours involved in business related pursuits, it's no wonder people sometimes spend their entire lives searching for a vocation they truly love.

I'm one of the fortunate ones. I found my calling early in life, at the age of 31, when I discovered this thing called business coaching. I grew up with an entrepreneur who truly loved what he did, my father. He didn't draw the lines between work and personal time. Everything just blended together. In some people's parlance he was "always working," and my guess is that many of you reading this are also accused of "always working."

What those folks don't "get" though is that when you truly love what you do for a living, you don't consider it work. It is actually something that brings you great joy and happiness, so why wouldn;t you be constantly thinking about it and acting on it?

We're at a very dangerous time in our country's 230+ year history. There are signs of increased government involvement everywhere you turn. Whether it's in the form of additional taxes or "bail outs" of private industries.

You see, the pursuit of happiness doesn't mean there are never times of sadness. Never tough times. Our forefathers didn't promise us that, just simply the opportunity to pursue happiness.

I'm afraid there are too many people in our country who have not done a lot of looking in the mirror lately. They've forgotten who has the ability to make the changes necessary to achieve that happiness that we all long for and desire. It's in each of us. Our government's job is not to protect us from the pains that come from that pursuit, but to protect our right to that pursuit!

At the end of the day, happiness is not a destination, but a journey. Do you think Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay would have been as happy had someone simply dropped them on the top of Mount Everest as they were after conquering that mountain?

I realize that some days it's hard to continue on that pursuit, especially as small business owners. But it is our duty to continue to push forward in that pursuit of happiness. To pursue the satisfaction that comes with building and growing a small business and keeping the doors open when all odds seem against us.

We've all had our own George Bailey moments (from the movie It's A Wonderful Life) when there is a "run on the bank" and the sheer exhilaration of being able to keep the doors open in spite of seemingly insurmountable odds.

For those who have never experienced it, it's hard for those of us who have to explain the feeling. But that's a big reason why so many of us small business owners continue that pursuit each and every day. Keep up that pursuit my friends!

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Article Tags: declaration of independence, forefathers, pursuit of happiness



Related Forum Posts
Re: The secret to happiness - Happiness comes from within. We choose whether we want to be happy or not. Circumstances can influence our feelings, but in the end, it's up to us how we deal with our circumstances, positively or negatively. I admire anyone who can stay strong and be happy through adversity. There will always be challenges that we face, but I believe that if we face them with our heads held high, the odds of overcoming them are much greater. This reminds me of the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness." Happiness spelled wrong for a reason. One of Will Smith's greatest movies. I encourage you all to watch it as it's very inspiring.
Re: The secret to happiness - Happiness is working on the job you love. I forgot who said this, "give a man the job he loves doing and he will ever work again in his life"
Re: The secret to happiness - [quote="barrysarner":2awy1urv]I agree and happiness is different for every individual.[/quote:2awy1urv] Happiness is something that comes from within each person it not something that we can find externally. Something from outside such as an exciting event or a new car can make us happy, but this is a fleeting emotion. True happiness is within each person if we choose to it over misery. MichelleJ
Re: Millionaire or Happyness? - [quote="mphcoach":2xpspnai]I recently watched the movie 'In Pursuit of Happyness' and was rather disappointed that the 'happiness' achieved was merely the accumulation of wealth.[/quote:2xpspnai] Hi Martin, I actually loved the movie, and interpret the "pursuit of happyness" as Chris Gardner setting a goal in life and then reaching it through the process of hard work and a fighting spirit. In fact, I once heard that people who work harder are actually happier than those who are talented. The logic behind this mindset is that people tend to enjoy their success more when they feel they've struggled to earn it. However, I still think a person is better off being rich and unhappy, rather than being poor and unhappy.
Re: Millionaire or Happyness? - [quote="mphcoach":lgfsn9gb] I recently watched the movie 'In Pursuit of Happyness' and was rather disappointed that the 'happiness' achieved was merely the accumulation of wealth. [/quote:lgfsn9gb] Money definitely can make things easier, but of course the main wealth in life is health. If you do not have your health you do not have anything, as anyone who suffers from a chronic disease can tell you! 1) Health 2) Family (whether it's you and your relatives, or you and your own spouse and rugrats) 3) Enough money to live comfortably First thing a parent should do for their kid is start them with a savings account. Even if you only get 1% interest these days - and how obscene is that! - it gets them accustomed to the idea of saving. Too many people these days spend up to their income, and, thanks to credit cards, beyond. That's one of the main barriers to developing wealth - digging a pit when you're young that you have to spend the rest of your lfe digging out of.


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