Robin Sieger Blog

Many books and lectures have explored the notion of happiness. I think happiness like love does not deconstruct. It is present or it is not present, however I do believe that as we are all different, then it stands to reason different things make people happy.

I have talked about no second guessing yourself when you make a choice, I also believe that much personal unhappiness, is based on one principle idea, which is many people and I include myself, at times make our happiness conditional. We will say "I'll be happy when I get a pay increase", "I'll be happy if I get my offer on that house accepted", "if I find true love,… when I lose 20 pounds…" and the reasons go on.

Research into happy people has concluded they have these traits in common:

· Have high self-esteem

· Be optimistic, outgoing, and agreeable

· Have close friendships or a satisfying marriage

· Have work and leisure that engages them

· Have a meaningful religious faith

· Sleep well and exercise

It also added that happiness had nothing to do with:

· Age

· Gender

· Education levels

· Parenthood (having children or not)

· Physical attractiveness

So it would appear to me that what we think and more critically what we believe, is going to be the key factor in determining our capacity to be happy. I do not seek to dumb down or make it an ultra quick fix, but I want you to understand that we all have the capacity to be happy. The Happy Factor is within us all. Certainly we will have bad hair days, and life will deal us a negative experience, being happy is not walking through life, laughing like a clown on espresso, rather it is the knowledge that we have the capacity to be happy, and seek to experience it, without external conditions being met, rather on having a positive attitude and believing that the most important relationship we ever have in our lives is with ourselves. So high self esteem is a choice, we can choose to like, believe and respect ourselves regardless of our background, and that is a choice I hope you make, and act on immediately. All you have to do is 'to love yourself for who you are'.

It is that simple!

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