ebernick 
Can anyone doubt that this is a “special moment”? I do not know the details behind this photo, in other words, I do not know what led to, or created this “special moment”. I may know the people in the photo (my sister and her daughter), but I don’t know who took the photo, or when or where the photo was taken. However, I can tell that it was a very special moment for these two people.
What do you think is going through the mind, and more importantly, the heart, of this mommy? Look at the little girl’s eyes. What do you see? I will share with you later what I see (and what I believe is in mommy’s heart). But first I want to share with you a valuable life lesson we can take from this everyday moment.
Very often the very thing we are looking for (happiness), is right in front of our eyes. All too often we go through life planning events and occasions to create happiness. Happiness becomes a destination, as it were. We will be happy when we get married, we will be happy when we have saved enough money for that special car, we will be happy when we go on that island holiday, we will be happy when our boss treats us better, we will be happy whenthe children have left home and can fend for themselves, we will be happy when we get that promotion, we will be happy when……..
Can you see what is happening here? We keep postponing happiness because we think of it as a destination. No wonder happiness eludes so many people.
Take another look at the photo above. A picture tells a thousand words. Are these two people happy? Well, the picture tells it all, not so? The happiness is so evident that it is almost infectious. The joy and contentment in the little girl’s eyes, as well as her tiny hand “connecting” with mom in such a special manner, is the lesson right there for us. What did it take for them to create happiness? Did it cost them any money? Did they have to receive something of a material nature? Did they need to be on a boat or in a fast car or on an island or in a fancy house to be happy? No, no, and no.
They needed nothing to make them happy except themselves, and the right attitude, namely, that happiness is a journey. Happiness is possible in every moment of our lives. In this photo, mom took the opportunity to really enjoy the love and companionship she has with her daughter. She expressed it with a special kiss, which in turn created a moment of happiness for her daughter. Mom treasured something which was right there in front of her eyes, and made it into a special moment of happiness for both of them.
I have previously quoted Abraham Lincoln’s belief: “People are about as happy as they choose to be”. The power of choice is within each one of our abilities. We can choose, at any time, and anywhere, to be happy. We can choose to make happiness a journey. We can choose to “stop and smell the roses” (apologies if that sounds like a cliché’).
Last night I was driving out of our estate with my wife. Both of us ran out of exclamations to describe the beautiful sunset, and I was driving slower than normal so that we could absorb the moment better. Next thing, another car raced past us, almost in annoyance at us hindering their speed. I thought to myself that it was a real pity that they did not see the opportunity for a very special moment of happiness in their haste to get to wherever they were going.
Does that not describe the life many of us lead? Chasing after things and missing the ongoing opportunities to find reasons for happiness right in front of our eyes.
Take a moment to think about aspects of your life which you may be taking for granted, but what could actually give you cause for happiness, is it your measure of health that you enjoy, is it your pretty garden which attracts striking birds, is it the soft rain which at times refreshes our surroundings, is it the starry sky at night, is it your work which you enjoy, is it a meaningful hobby you spend time on, is it the sunshine which pours into your bedroom early in the morning, is it the laughter of your children, is it the look of appreciation from your spouse when you do something special for them? (An ancient saying in the Scriptures reminds us that there is more happiness in giving than receiving)
Why not set aside some time to write down a list of “50 things that make me happy” (if you have not already done so, as suggested in a previous blog article)? This exercise will help you create a mindset that “happiness is a journey”. Learn to choose happiness each day, in as many moments as possible. You don’t need much to be happy. Just you, and your thoughts (refer to photo above).
Because happiness is a journey, not a destination.
(Eberhard Niklaus is an author, speaker, facilitator, business coach and trainer. His business coaching programme “Developing the art of crafting a winning team”, has helped many sales and business teams to maximize performance, productivity and profitability)
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