“The right to Happiness”

Reflection Zone:

Many of us are familiar with the Human Rights Act in Britain, for example, the right to life, the right to a fair trial, the right to liberty, to name a few. If it was possible to add one more human right to the human rights law in Britain It would be ‘the right to be happy.’

I think I’ve lived most of my life merely existing – awaiting for the next big thing, the next holiday, the next event in order to experience happiness.

One of my favourite films is The Pursuit of Happiness, featuring Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith. This film made a key point, that happiness is something that must be pursued and not something you can obtain in one-off miraculous experience (in my own words.) 

I remember a famous reflection by Chris Gardener – (the character that Will Smith plays in The Pursuit of Happiness)

I quote: “It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?”

This point really hit home with me. I’ve always thought if I get my dream job, or meet the perfect guy I would be happy. It’s almost as if I have a mental checklist of the things I want to achieve. But sometimes when we achieve our goals, we can end up complaining about the very thing we desired and strived for years ago.

It’s human nature to forget where you’re coming from and how far you’ve come. I’ve found that keeping a record of your goals, or gratitude lists on what I’ve achieved on a monthly or yearly basis is a good habit to introduce to your life, so you can look back and remember.

New Year’s Eve always comes round and we set New Year’s resolutions hoping that if we reach those goals, we would be much happier and feel much more successful.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad to have goals, but don’t base your happiness on this alone. 

You may be familiar with this quote: ‘You’re responsible for your own happiness’. But that seems like such a big responsibility, and happiness is not always something you can control. Happiness always seems to be dependent on what’s going on around us – at our place of work, our social circle, or our relationship with my family, or what’s going on in our minds.

I’ve come to know that there’s no quick fix when it comes to happiness, but I’ve listed a couple of tips that have helped me maintain a happy attitude in the midst of life.

Tip 1 # Carry your own atmosphere

This basically means remaining positive in negative environments, (this is easier said, then done) – by carrying your own atmosphere you’re building resilience and stamina to withstand any weather.

Tip 2 # Do the things you enjoy

I personally enjoy visiting coffee shops, ( that’s where I write my posts for my blog) I love writing – it’s an amazing outlet to discuss things I’m passionate about or struggling with.

Tip 3 # Break routine and try something new

I’ve heard it once said: you can’t do the same things and expect a different result – if you’re use to doing things a certain way all the time (like me) – change it up, it does wonders to your state of happiness.

Tip 4 # Cut off technology ( sometimes)

I sometimes find myself scrolling through YouTube looking for something that will catch my attention, this can be emotionally draining and time consuming. Know when to cut off from technology, or for some, social media.

Tip 5 # Rest your mind

Rest your mind- close your eyes and listen to reflection music – some people find that even if they sleep long hours they don’t get rest – their still tired in the morning. I’ve had firsthand experience of this, I’m still learning in this area.

Tip 6 # Get to know yourself

Take a happiness test (there’s numerous tests online, find one that suits you)I’ve linked two below:

https://www.psychologies.co.uk/test-how-happy-are-you

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/tests/health/happiness-test

Remember this: You deserve to be happy – it’s your human right.

Listen to the quote from The Pursuit of Happiness: