04 Dec 5 Crucial Elements of Happiness
Written by Lifebook Member Devers Branden
Devers Branden is one of the happiest people on the planet. Her joy is radiant, her compassion is remarkable, and her contentment in life is unshakable. Devers has achieved the most successful emotional life imaginable.
With no formal education in psychology, Devers forged an entirely new path in the world of psychotherapy. Alongside her former husband, Nathaniel Branden, Devers worked in clinics all over the world, helping thousands of individuals find new roads to happiness. She is also the co-author of books “Achieving High Self Esteem,” “What Love Asks of Us,” and many more publications. For several years, Devers also taught seminars through The Branden Institute. The most recent and compelling seminar is based on the discipline of happiness. After studying the subject for many years, her approach is simple, comprehensive, and profoundly wise.
The concept of happiness is often vague, subjective, and too overwhelming for most to approach. However, Devers defines happiness as two fold. Happiness is the existence of an inner-peace – the creation of a quiet internal environment that allows people to hear themselves. Happiness is also the experience of striving for achievement, the realization of personal goals.
Devers shares the following crucial elements in the creation of happiness:
Consciousness
Living consciously is an art, and one well worth mastering. Consciousness allows us to make the daily decisions that can lead to lasting happiness and fulfillment. Living consciously gives us confidence in the ability and worth of our minds and thoughts. Maintaining happiness requires clarity and rationality – the ability to think about what matters in life and make choices based in our deepest values. Being aware of our thoughts, behaviors and decisions allows us to direct them with intention, which puts all the power of happiness in our hands.
Discipline
Creating happiness in our lives requires an enormous amount of self-discipline. Happiness is a skill, and like any skill, it requires practice and persistence. You must activate discipline in order to create and maintain optimism. In order to be happy, you must make happiness a priority in your life. There are simply too many negatives out there waiting to throw you off. You MUST be dedicated to lasting happiness, and disciplined in protecting it.
Discipline is also an essential characteristic in the achievement of personal goals, which Devers considers a necessary component of happiness. In order to move progressively in the direction of our ideals, we must have the mental focus to turn thoughts into actions. Functioning as a counterpart to consciousness, self-discipline transforms what we think into actual reality.
Selfishness
Often wrongly associated with a negative connotation, selfishness is one of the most vital virtues in creating happiness. Selfishness is putting the self first and foremost. It is making ourselves the foundation for the rest of our lives. How can it work any other way?
Doing what is required to optimize the self first enhances our ability to make others happy. We simply have more to give. In order to reach contentment, our happiness must take priority above all others.
Self-Responsibility
Happiness is within our control. In order to create happiness it must begin internally. People often become a victim of their experiences instead of taking responsibility and committing to remain free from negativity or traumatizing events. Happiness is everyone’s personal responsibility. Relying on your internal state for happiness, not external factors, is what creates true and lasting fulfillment.
Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is experiential. It is part of the experience we have with ourselves. The perception of the self lays a foundation for every emotion and experience in life. Self-esteem is the belief and knowledge that we are competent to cope with the challenges of life and that we are deserving of happiness. It is self-confidence in the efficacy of our mind, and the decisions that we make.
Self-esteem affects all of our interactions with others but most importantly, it affects the interaction that occurs within us. No decision that we make is untouched by our self-esteem, and our self-esteem is influenced by those decisions. How we view ourselves affects everything in our lives. Self-esteem is the most fundamental element in the creation of happiness, and the most necessary tool for a healthy, successful emotional life.
Building self-esteem can create happiness in itself. By accepting and loving yourself, having confidence in your abilities and making good decisions consciously, you develop your self-esteem and create momentum for happiness. The higher your self-esteem, the happier and more content you can become.
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Creating happiness requires consciousness, discipline, selfishness, self-responsibility and self-esteem. Although initially this appears to be a challenging endeavor, the decision to be happy is easily the most important decision in your life.
Develop these 5 fundamental elements and make happiness a priority NOW. Learn to generate fulfillment from within, and maintain it with discipline. Your emotions will set the tone for every experience you have in your life. Your happiness matters.