HECTOR’S SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS:  PART 3

I hope you enjoyed yesterday’s list.  If you’re just now jumping into this series, please be sure to start from the beginning, which you can do by visiting Part 1 of the series.  This list and series is fun and it stems from my love for a movie, but in the end I want everyone to know that the items in these lists that will have true impact and value in your life are the ones that have to do with your heart.  In yesterday’s blog I talked about forgiveness for example, and if you’re walking around with unforgiveness in your heart, you shouldn’t even waste your time with anything else.  That heart issue needs to be taken care of first and foremost, and until you do, everything else that you do is an attempt to fill a void.  Yes, I started off deep this morning.  Just wanting to keep you on your toes.

HAPPINESS IS GIVING

You can tell a lot about a person by two things:  One, by their love for dogs / animals, and two, how generous they are.  You may have all heard the phrase, “It’s better to give than to receive”, which stems from Christian teaching, but this very simple instruction is so true.  And I’m not talking about giving your loose change to a homeless guy on the corner, I’m talking about real giving that comes from your heart that has the ultimate goal of making someone’s life a little bit better.  I’m talking about giving that takes effort, that causes you to step out of your comfort zone and truly impact a person’s life.

About 10 years ago I remember gathering a bunch of friends over with the idea of hitting the streets of downtown and feeding the homeless.  A few of us had the idea of doing something good and making sandwiches and giving out water sounded like a great idea, especially if we did it on our BMX bikes.  We spent some time making about 50 or so awesome sandwiches, loaded them up in our backpacks, and at dark all 10 of us hit the streets.  We split up into teams and had a great time bringing smiles to some very hopeless faces.  We weren’t handing out $100 bills but that little sandwich and water was sure to brighten up someone’s night.  It felt good to know that we were doing our part and from my perspective, watching these younger teens taking time out on a Saturday night to give back made me happy.

There are needs all around us and we don’t have to wait until Christmas to give back.  One thing that I learned years ago was that if you’re having a hard time or feeling down, one of the best things you can do is take the focus off of yourself and look for a need and meet it.  Even if it’s for a brief moment, your act of giving will make you feel awesome, especially if it’s something that will evidently make someone else happy.

HAPPINESS IS BEING WHERE YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE

One of the first points I shared in yesterday’s post was “Happiness is doing what you love” and part of doing what you love is enjoying where you’re at.  You don’t have to work for yourself to “do what you love”, and you can be one of the happiest people on the earth while working for someone else.  The key is to be where you’re supposed to be and thrive there.

Many people wake up everyday and show up to a job that they hate or don’t feel is where they want to be.  They have to put food on the table however, so some have no choice but to continue showing up, and simply “showing up” everyday can’t be a happy situation.  Where you spend 8 hours of your day can make all the difference in how happy you wake up in the morning or how happy you are when you come home.   And if you can’t get up in the morning and look forward to those next 8 hours of your life, then I suggest you change it.  Figure out what will make you happy and go there.  Find it.  It’s out there.

The same goes for relationships.  Many people will stay “stuck” in a relationship that doesn’t feel right, but out of a desire for comfort or security they will stay in something that really isn’t a happy place for them.  You hear about these situations all the time, and we see this played out in movies even more.  One example is the 2001 movie Serendipity, starring John Cusak and Kate Beckinsale, a story about couple that reunites years after the night they first met, fell in love, and separated, convinced that one day they’d end up together.  After a few years of first meeting, both characters find themselves unhappy in their relationships, longing to find one another.  There’s a very evident desire to go after love and not settle for anything less and after realizing that they are “not where they’re supposed to be”,they eventually find each other at a New York ice rink, a place they hung out at when they first met.

You would think that people would “get it” but many don’t.  Many people don’t know how to follow that natural feeling inside that says “Hey! You’re not supposed to be here, and you will continue being unhappy until you make a change”.  If that’s you and you feel this going on inside of you, please head that “little voice”.  It’s there for a reason and I believe that it can be trusted when it comes to this.  No one will ever be happy being where they’re not supposed to be, so don’t be there.

HAPPINESS IS PUPPIES

To end on a lighter note, one place that I will always want to be is chillin next to one my awesome little dogs.  One of the newest members of my family is a little MaltiPoo named Pups, which is short for Pupsicle.  I adopted her over a year ago and her original name was Biggie Smalls Smalls, but over time it changed and the name Pups stuck.  She is an amazing little puppy and without fail, she cracks me up everyday.  All she has to do is look at you and you can’t help but smile or want to pick her up and squeeze her.  The photo above is Pups when she was just a few months old.

One of her favorite things to do is steal socks and every morning I will find 3 or 4 socks laying in the living room.  Once my socks hit the floor in my bedroom, she grabs them and takes them away.  I’m not sure what her fascination is with socks but seeing them all over the house makes me smile.  Her and my other two awesome dogs really do make me happy.

I hope you all have a great day today and that what I shared resonates with you somehow.  We have 100% control of our lives so remind yourself of that today and know that you can dictate your happiness.  Figure out what makes you happy and go after it.  And if you have a dog waiting for you at home, be sure to squeeze the hell out of him or her when you see them later today.

Until tomorrow.  Be Happy.

@hectorgarciahtx