To Be Or Not To Be?
Dramatic voice: ‘To be or not to be?‘ Words spoken in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. Hamlet is contemplating whether life is worth living or dying. This statement has been interpreted a thousand times over. While I realize there is a lot to be said about life vs. death, I want to take it in another direction and consider what it means to be, more importantly, what it means to be happy. We all strive to be happy. So, why does it seem so many people are unhappy? Are we all able to achieve happiness? Is the goal of being happy truly achievable? Is it logical to be happy in a world with violence and destruction? You could argue ‘being happy‘ is not the goal of life. To that, I have no real answer (you may choose to be unhappy; that is your decision), but I would offer the following questions: What is success without happiness? What is freedom without happiness? What is health without happiness? In my opinion, all goals are derivatives of the desire to be happy. Many believe that once you have that physical object or experience, you will then be able to be happy. I am not going to sit here and say I do not strive to have nice things. A big house, a nice car, quality clothes, healthy food, comfortable travel accommodations, a beautiful woman to call a wife, healthy children to call my own, close friends to laugh with, etc. These things are all great, and I do strive to have all the things above, but one cannot base their happiness on anything external. They alone can not bring you any happiness. Happiness is a state of being. It is a choice. To piggyback off of Hamlet, I would change the phrase to ‘To Be Happy or not to Be Happy.‘ You make the decision to be happy, content, blissful. No outside circumstances can control your happiness. Once you truly understand this, you become unstoppable. Nobody can touch you. You realize you are the one and only person who has any say over whether you are flying high or down in the dumps. The universe grants us free will to feel however we want at any and every given moment. Choose to be happy. Choose to be abundant. Choose to be fulfilled. Do not let someone else determine your level of happiness. Find it within yourself to choose to be happy. It takes time, but it is also instant. You must choose to be happy at any and every moment. I will not lie; there are times that you may feel sad, angry, frustrated, etc. That is natural; feel those moments, realize you are out of your natural state of bliss, and let them go. Easy as that. Return to happiness. Rely on happiness to guide you through your day; do not let external circumstances rule your life. Place happiness above all else and watch what you are able to create. ‘To be Happy or not to be Happy?‘ That is the question I pose to you. I rise every morning and choose happiness. What path will you choose for your life?