Are you happy? Did you know that you can choose happiness now? I didn't know that for a long time, and, coincidentally, I was miserable. When I finally discovered that the key to happiness had been inside of me all along, I was inspired to write a song titled "It's Okay to be Happy" with my great friends Dave Berg and Georgia Middleman. On this Monday morning, I hope to inspire a little joy in the world by sharing this song with you (click button to listen below)! I also included an article that conveys a beautiful message of happiness. Thanks, Lindsay, for allowing me to publish your words on my blog.
If you have thoughts about this topic or even an article that you'd like to share with us, please feel free to post it here. I look forward to hearing from you.
Have a happy day!
All the best,
Jenni
Self-love: The Love Story with the Ultimate Happy Ending by Lindsay Gooze, UC San Diego Women’s Center Intern
I have had many friends tell me, “I’ll be happy once, I get ________.” They believe that once they complete this statement, they will be satisfied with themselves. Theay may fill this blank with “a boyfriend,” “a perfect body,” “my dream job,” or whatever external factor they believe will solve their internal problems.
For many years, I thought that once I got to a certain weight, my life would be perfect. The problem was that after I achieved my “goal,” I still was never satisfied with the amount of weight I lost, and I thought I could be a better person by losing more and more weight. I judged the success of my life by this unhealthy external factor, until I became recovered from anorexia after several years of introspection and therapy.
Although others may not be as extreme in the importance they place on external factors, they still suffer from low self-esteem because they do not feel like they measure up to society’s ideals. According to dosomething.org, “Seven in ten girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members.”
It is difficult, if not impossible, for people to accept and love themselves, if they think they are flawed or defective in some tangible way. They may strive to attain external “perfection,” but they ignore the importance of their internal selves. With all this significance placed on a person’s exterior image by our culture, people forget what is really important—the inside.
Our soul and spirits make us whole, not brand named jeans and flowing hair. We are each beautifully unique and one of a kind, and therefore, we are already our perfect selves. We should not waste time trying to attain meaningless objects to be happy, because we are born with all we need to be happy with ourselves. Instead of wasting years of our short lives searching for happiness, we must love ourselves now and the most genuine happiness will come.
* "It's Okay to be Happy" is available on iTunes, Amazon.com, and other online retailers. This song is also the 6th track on my my new CD, "phoenix, Tennessee"!
** Important Note: I suffered from clinical depression earlier in my life, so I fully understand that depression is is an illness that requires proper medical treatment. It's not simply a matter of "just being happy." At the same time, I can say that, for me, a combination of proper treatment for depression plus a change in my attitude (as reflected in this song) is what has made the complete difference in my life.
06 It's Okay to be Happy
