The Difference Between Happy and Unhappy People
We all know people who always seem happy. We also all know people who always seem unhappy. You may even fall into one of these two categories.
Obviously, given the choice the vast majority of people would choose to be happy over being unhappy. So, why are some people better able to follow through on that choice and others seem to never be able to follow through on choosing happiness?
Well, it comes down to the source of happiness. Happy people get their happiness from sources they control. On the other hand, unhappy people get their happiness from sources they don’t control.
Specifically, happy people control what they do, and this makes them happy. They don’t allow what others do (which they have no control over) impact their happiness. This breaks down into three rules of thumb:
- Happy people control processes. Unhappy people try to control outcomes.
- Happy people control how they treat people. Unhappy people try to control how people treat them.
- Unhappy people try to control what happens in their environment. Happy people control how they react to what happens in their environment.
Therefore, if you derive your happiness from sources you control, you can be as happy as you want when you want. On the other hand, if you derive your happiness from sources you can’t control, you are destined to be unhappy often.