Would You Rather Be Happy Or Feel Peace?

The title of this mini-podcast is, Would You Rather Be Happy or Feel Peace? The Grasshopper once said, Your life situation can always be happier, but your life needs no improvement. Now that may sound a little like a contradiction, until you sit with it for a while. Years ago I had a friend in sales who asked every prospect the same question,

How can you be happier? He wasn't trying to be philosophical. He was simply looking for the area of dissatisfaction he could help solve. He understood something most of us already know. Everyone thinks they could be happier.

In fact, much of life becomes a chase for happiness. Advertisers know it, marketers know it, politicians know it. They're all selling some version of, you'll be happier if... I call it chasing the horizon.

The trouble is, happiness comes and goes. A great meal makes you happy. A promotion makes you happy. Falling in love makes you happy. And then life changes. There's nothing wrong with happiness. It's wonderful when it shows up, but it's not a permanent state of affairs. That's why I think there's a better question

to ask ourselves. Would you rather be happy or would you rather feel peace? Chew on that for a moment. Most of us automatically choose happiness because that's what we've been conditioned to pursue. But if you really pay attention, what you're longing for isn't another happy moment. It's peace. Your circumstances are always changing, so they'll

always tempt you to look for the next thing that promises happiness. But beneath all those changing circumstances is something that doesn't come and go. The life force that's animating you right now. It's quiet. It's steady. It's peaceful. It doesn't need to be manufactured. It only needs to be noticed. Peace doesn't come in degrees. There's no bronze, silver, or gold level of peace.

Peace is simply peace. So when happiness arrives, enjoy it. Celebrate it. Savor every minute. Just don't spend your life chasing it. Otherwise, you'll be like a dog chasing its tail, running as fast as you can without ever really getting anywhere. Instead, stop chasing the horizon once in a while.

You may discover what you've been searching for has been with you all along. And when you find that peace, you may discover that you've become happier than you ever expected. All the best, John.

Thank you.