ComputerHunter.org

 

The Elusive Butterfly of Happiness


Are You Chasing the Elusive Butterfly of Happiness?

For many people happiness is an elusive butterfly in the garden of life. Imagine a young child in the garden on a summer day. The child sees a beautiful butterfly flitting from flower to flower. With eyes of wonder the child wants to see it close up, touch it, and hold it in their hands. The child goes towards the flower that the butterfly is resting on, with arms out stretched, only to find as he just gets in reach, the butterfly moves to another flower. Undeterred the child follows the butterfly to the next flower, and then the next, but the butterfly always stays just out of reach.

As adults, happiness can seem just like that butterfly, always just out of reach. It becomes almost an obsession and the words "if only?" become an increasingly large part of our thoughts and vocabulary. If only I had more money I would be happy, if only I was in a great relationship I would be happy, if only I could have a different job???.and the list goes on. Even if we achieve one of our "if only" desires, the happiness we seek is still just out of our reach. The truth of the saying "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" becomes our focus and perception. If this becomes our focus, we find that dissatisfaction and unhappiness increasingly keep growing in our life and experience.

The unhappiness within us can not be completely satisfied by external events or circumstances. To find happiness in life we must first be at peace with ourselves internally. External events and circumstances can bring us happiness in the moment, but they do not have a lasting effect on our inner self. Life experience brings a mixture of good and bad circumstances to everyone. To rely on life's experiences for our source of happiness would mean living life in a constant emotional roller coaster ride.

Happiness comes from within. The inner contentment that survives the roller coaster ride of life has its roots deep within our being. The source of happiness comes from finding and embracing who we are as a person, and living a life of purpose. We need to find peace in every aspect of our life- the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. To discover acceptance, purpose and peace in all of these areas will give a sense of completion in life. If we neglect any one of these areas, we experience a sense of emptiness and feel something is missing. There is not a solid foundation for building happiness within, but we then, typically start to try to fill this incompleteness by looking for outside solutions. That is the point when we can fall into the 'elusive butterfly' syndrome, and experience such frustration.

Is happiness an elusive butterfly for you? Spend some time in quiet reflection. Are you neglecting one of the four important parts of who you are and experiencing a sense of emptiness within? The more you discover, embrace and accept your uniqueness and purpose, the more you will experience the butterfly of happiness alighting on your shoulder.

Barbara White, of Beyond Better Development, speaks and writes with a passion to empower others to live life fully. This article is extracted from her newsletter "Growing Beyond Better.

To subscribe to her newsletter, or read other articles visit http://www.livingbeyondbetter.com

For more on this topic read Barbara's E book "Discovering and Celebrating Your Uniqueness". Click here http://www.livingbeyondbetter.com/discovering-your-uniqueness.html







Google News - Top Stories

BBC News

US grains up 2 percent as financial markets bounce
Reuters - 2 hours ago
By Naveen Thukral SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Chicago grain futures climbed more than 2 percent on Tuesday, rising for a second day from multi-month lows as fresh efforts by governments across the world to rescue the banking industry buoyed financial markets ...
European shares charge ahead after Wall Street rally (1st Lead) Monsters and Critics.com
World Markets Reflect Growing Hope TIME
Bloomberg - The Associated Press - guardian.co.uk - BBC News
all 1,011 news articles


Boston Globe

Deadly LA wildfires forcing evacuations
CNN - 1 hour ago
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Two major wildfires, pushed by strong Santa Ana winds, raged through the San Fernando Valley on Tuesday morning on a path that has already forced thousands of families from their homes.
Video: Mayor: Thank God for Our Firefighters AssociatedPress
Wind-Fueled Wildfires Threaten LA Suburbs Washington Post
Whittier Daily News - Ventura County Star - Reuters - San Jose Mercury News
all 4,145 news articles


BBC News

Race Remains Campaign Issue, but Not a Clear One
New York Times - 5 hours ago
By PATRICK HEALY ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio - Senator Barack Obama lost the Ohio Democratic primary by 10 percentage points and the West Virginia primary by a whopping 40 points last spring - a sign, to some Democrats and political analysts, ...
Consistent message eluding McCain Boston Globe
McCain Attack Ads Called Inevitable -- And Ineffective Washington Post
Sofia News Agency - Wausau Daily Herald - CNN - Chicago Tribune
all 2,003 news articles


ABC News

House Race Is Shaken by Report of an Affair
New York Times - 7 hours ago
By IAN URBINA WASHINGTON - The Florida congressman who succeeded Mark Foley after he resigned because of a sex scandal is now embroiled in a sex scandal of his own, and has requested a Congressional ethics investigation to clear his name.
A Florida (House) Bombshell Washington Post
South Fla. Congressman Investigated Amid Sex Scandal Local10.com
CNN - The Associated Press - Los Angeles Times
all 351 news articles


Boston Globe

Mbeki 'sure' of Zimbabwe progress
BBC News - 1 hour ago
South Africa's ex-President Thabo Mbeki is confident he will be able to salvage Zimbabwe's power-sharing deal in talks in Harare, his spokesman says.
Zimbabwe: 'Tsvangirai Got More Than Kenya's Odinga' AllAfrica.com
UK denounces 'power grab' as Mugabe swears in new deputies guardian.co.uk
Voice of America - Aljazeera.net - The Associated Press - Xinhua
all 3,074 news articles

Google
 

Copyright © 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base