What is happiness if we believe it's fundamentally controlled by external factors? It is then fundamentally controlled by the value that we perceive of those factors and is subjective to the level of value that it creates for us.

Happiness is truly a personal and subjective state of mind, but state of mind is only one of the cornerstone elements of its core. I strongly believe in the thought process of happiness being driven by how we perceive our world, how we view and consider our thoughts, what we feel about our world, and the decisions we make in our own mind. However, simply believing in being happy, although significant in contributing towards it, is not practical. Our world is a construct of our minds, bodies, spirits, the world, and the various other universal energies that contribute to our lives and the lives around us.

When we perceive the world in a positive, neutral, and balanced light, we create the best potential environment for success in the search for happiness. When we formulate our world and the constructs of the environment around us to nurture the best potential environment, then we have a great opportunity to both seek, view, and embrace those various external factors that can, in some way, shape, or form, provide input into our happiness.

I was impacted by an external influence today, one that I don't feel I truly believe had the ability to reframe. One that was dictated by my connection to someone that I almost feel obligated to absorb, even if I know that the ability to absorb that situation leaves me in a position counterintuitive to the choice or decision I would usually make. Being an external influence, and one outside of my control, I attempted to ignore the negative emotions within me. However, it impacted other thoughts, other emotions, and spread somewhat. I realized that maintaining a neutral frame of mind, one not swayed by external influence and occurrences outside of our control, is the default.

However, we still need to allow our minds space to consider external influences, how they may affect us, and work towards streamlining them within our lives to the best of our ability. Because although we may choose not to embrace situations that are opposed to our optimum, we will still be met with external influence that we must choose to embrace due to its impact in other areas of our lives.

Finding balance in these situations, learning to control, and allowing space to fill a gap are all contributing factors in our search for happiness.

Thanks,

Dean