The Paradox of Happiness

"The pursuit of happiness is a most ridiculous phrase, if you pursue happiness you’ll never find it."
-C. P. Snow

Almost everyone has heard the saying, "you can’t buy happiness." So how do we find something which can’t be purchased or won? The term finding happiness seems somewhat like a paradox. It’s hard to find something if you never even realized you’ve lost it. True lasting happiness comes from within our hearts and souls and is a by-product of a life lived which is inline with our morals and values.

Many times in life we may find that we’re compromising our highest values and morals, the result is often unhappiness. Moreover, even if we’re living true to ourselves, we may still find that we’re unhappy. In such cases, maybe we should look at what sources we’re depending on for our happiness.

Most people, me included, sometimes depend too much on external forces for happiness. This can cause a never ending battle of constantly trying to maintain something which we never really had in the first place. True, long-lasting happiness, should not be contingent on external sources. Having a dependence on people or things is bound to fail; people leave and things can be lost or destroyed.

The key to real happiness, is finding it inside our heart and soul. Once we learn how to do this, we’ll no longer have a need to find happiness, for happiness will find us. When you think about it, one of the reasons inner peace and serenity is such a wonderful thing, is because it’s so hard to find. Just like anything else in life, nothing great or worth doing is ever easy. If that was the case, we’d be purchasing happiness in HD! Although many of us think we can buy happiness, why else would be continue to try?

So if happiness cannot be found, how do we get it? It starts with finding that sought after inner peace and serenity. There is no dollar sign on a peace of mind, and finding peace within ourselves is the beginning towards happiness. The best part about obtaining inner-peace is the resulting happiness is not contingent on external sources. Moreover, it can never be stolen nor dependent on anyone or anything. The answer to the paradox is stop trying to find happiness; learn how to love and accept yourself and happiness will find you.

Whether you’re unhappy in your life the way it is, or you’re searching for a new level of inner peace, finding happiness which is not contingent on outside sources is a good place to start. Achieving happiness within is one way of ensuring happiness will find you.

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