Be happy right now, right here!

I remember when I was looking for a job, I was miserable, I had low self esteem, and I did not want to meet people, and I did not appreciate life. I used to tell my friends that I will happy when I get a job that would be my break-through in my life.

One of my friends said to me Bongani be happy right now, and take notice of little things that you have in your life, and I asked what little things are you talking about? He said you are still alive; you may not be where you want to be, but be happy because the devil whishes you were dead and you still have your family around you. When you are down to nothing, God is up to something.

I remember on the 26^th of November 2003 when I received an interview call from two companies. It was Department of Mineral and Energy and Department of Land Affairs, I was very excited and I said God has answered my call. I attended the interviews and I was successful on both interviews, then I choose one company based on salary scale. I started working on 12^th of January 2004 at the Department of Land Affairs

Now I am working and I realized that I am still not happy, I still say if I could get a promotion I would be happy not realizing that I am putting my happiness to some future date. I got a promotion and I was happy for few months. Now I want a car and I said if I could only get a car I would be very happy.

When coming to achieving my goals I would say I would be happy when I achieve this goal, not realizing I must enjoy the journey while working towards my goal
I immediately realized that when I say I will be happy when, then I am putting my happiness on hold:

I will give you an example:
I will be happy when I am retired.
I will be happy when I have a better job.
I will be happy when I am rich.
I will be happy when I win lottery
I will happy when I loose weight
I will be happy when it’s 5pm Friday
I will be happy when I have a beautiful home.

Let’s stop putting some rules on our happiness, saying I will be happy when. I started to be aware of the trap of waiting for a happy future and I decided to be happy right now. There is a lot to appreciate, enjoy and be grateful for in our life right now.

Sometimes I would give up on my hopes for a happy future and be happy now; instead of waiting for your life to be perfect enjoy your life right now.

 Give up craving and give up waiting.

 Here are a few of my favourite quotes which inspire me;

 ”Unlucky people, if they go to a party wanting to meet the love of their life, end up not meeting people who might become close friends or people who might help them in their careers. Being relaxed and open allows lucky people to see what’s around them and to maximize what’s around them.”
–Prof Richard Wiseman

 “Your beliefs and attitude will influence how you see the world. Our beliefs and attitude are like our glasses through which we see the world.”
-Phil McNally, ‘Winning Mentality-7 Mind Techniques Used By Winners’

 ”We see things not as they are, but as we are.” -Kant, German philosopher

 We see what we want to see. We appreciate what we appreciate. Stop craving. Start enjoying.
 Our happiness is in our hands. Happiness is a journey not a destination.

Have a HAPPY NOW day!

Keep positive!