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Happiness: As Good As It Gets

By: Rick London..

I received an email from a woman I know last week. She considered me a happy person. It surprised me. I don't consider myself particularly sad or pessimistic, just not what one deems happy. I'm simple. Maybe that is what she meant. She gave me ten seconds to reply.

Growing up, I really never remember people seeking me out for my grand sense of humor or light-heartedness. I was a mixed up kid like so many children of the '60's and carried a good bit of that rebellious baggage with me into adulthood. Maybe therapy was a good thing. I learned my boundaries and limitations. I could not change the world. I could barely change me. Learning those limitations makes life simpler. And the simpler I am, the happier. Controvery used to appeal to me. It does no longer.

Psychologists tell us we are not all, but part of a product of our environments. I did not grow up in a happy environment. Nor did a lot of others. I don't even use the word dysfunctional anymore, since it is such a common phrase and it seems everyone "had it at one time or another". But those days are way in my past and I have had many happy and joyful experiences since that time. Many were small and many monumental. They each added up to my happiness, I suppose.

Happiness, to me, if there is such a thing, is really getting down to basics. By basics I mean go as far back as The U.S. Constitution "...and the pursuit of happiness" which is actually written by these stern men with no smiles, at least not in their renderings, but they knew the importance of it.

"To thine own self be true", said William Shakespeare. That statement alone showed how far ahead of his time he was, long before psychiatry and antidepressants ever existed, custom designed for those who had never been true to themselves. Shakespeare knew, being true to oneself, is a key element in being happier. I didn't say happy, though it could result in that. But I don't know a person who is true to him or herself who is not at least a bit cheerful. I may have even taken the phrase way to literally. I still think about it daily as decisions have to be made.

Given these facts, let's count how many ways we compromise our happiness, or make certain it does not happen. We take jobs which are terrible but pay well. We do not like our co-workers and they do not like us. We do not like our boss and he does not like us either. We get married and have kids out of peer pressure. All our friends and associates did it, but we were not ready, or the opposite. We decided not to get married as we grew up in an unhappy home, and we would "show our parents with sweet revenge" (That was my modus operandi for many years). Suddenly it occurred to me they didn't care what I did as long as I was in the pursuit of happiness. Besides, they were deceased. Or we go past our credit card limit paying astronomical interest for years to come, just to impress someone who never really cared in the first place. We forgot, what happiness we do get, generally comes from within.

We learn some mighty lessons from these "failures of adulthood" and I do not say that judgementally. I am no different than anyone else in this arena. I have changed careers many times (put on new masks) until I found the one that fit me. It worked and I am much happier. I didn't say happy. I dont know if I am or not. But I am usually optomistic.

I try to think of the great DeNiro line (to his psychiatrist Billy Crystal) in the movie "Analyze That". "It's a process, doc". Of course out of context it is not funny, but in the movie it's a scream. And life and happiness, getting more of both, is, indeed a process, and can be a painful one at that. But the risks are worth the rewards.

Simple is good. Complex is not so good. It is human nature to like drama. Leave it for the movies. Live your life more simply and experience more happiness. It is really that simple. Sounds cliche but I can guarantee you, in my half-century here on earth, I have an inkling of wisdom in that area.

Life is short. Do the work you love, regardless of the money. Study it hard. Research. Get to know it and love it. The money really will follow. If it doesn't, learn yet another vocation of interest until you are wearing the right mask. Career and money can contribute greatly to happiness, but money itself, for the sake of an uninteresting career, leaves one empty.

I am not saying one has to work in the world of cartooning or humor to be happy. But it doesn't hurt to expose oneself to it.

Mom discovered she had leukemia in 1995. I began researching and found a book by retired surgeon Dr. Bernie Siegel who wrote a best-seller in the 1980's, Love, Laughter, And Healing. He had incurable brain cancer and exposed himself to many comedy movies, videos, cartoons, books, etc. He didn't know if it would help heal him, but he knew he would at least get to laugh in his final days. Within a few years, the cancer was in remission and he still is alive and writing two decades later. I have talked to him several times on the phone, when mom was sick, and he gave me some direction as to what life is about. I truly believe the humor had much to do with her attitude and longetivity. (she outlived a few of her doctors).

Aside from a Gary Larson Far Side exhibit about a decade earlier, that may have had the most impact on my launching of my cartoon site, which lures 4000 vistitors per hour and my webstores which do a brisk business. My friends tell me they visit them often and it helps them in their daily lives. Whether this is true or not, I like to think it is, and it helps me in developing my own feelings of joy.

Sharing a joke, a funny book or story, or even a cartoon gift with someone is something that will cheer them up. It has a synergistic effect and will do the same for you. I have tried it many times and it's a sure-fire remedy for what ails you. I am not saying not to listen to professional medical advice, just saying it is a great way to add to one's happiness, hence your own.

Article Source: http://www.myarticlesdirectory.com

The Internet's most visited cartoon is Londons Times www.londonstimes.us by Rick London. He also has numerous cartoon Londons Times Cartoon Gift Stores which he feels help spread happiness One cartoon gift item store is Top Cartoonist Rick London Shares Ways To Become Happier

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