The Acquisition of Happiness

I am truly excited for what's to come.. #ProverbialMonday:

Every week we'll start off with our "highs and lows" and get into some important societal survival skills and general goings on of the TwinCities and neighboring communities with news about the rest of the world here and there. Participation is simple. Just give us your highs and lows either in the comments of the article or on twitter by trending #ProverbialMonday or tweeting to me @ProverbTribune.

High: My Baby's due date is fast approaching 12/2/12

Low: Struggling with work/life balance.

***The Acquisition of Happiness***

The United States Declaration of Independence reads: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

While for some these unalienable rights are sufficient for others its not enough. Specifically, its not enough to have the right to the pursuit of happiness. Those like me aren't interested in the pursuit of happiness. It is the unalienable right to the acquisition of happiness that is the truth that we hold to be self-evident. If the acquisition of happiness is not a right then what is the purpose of will?

More than the capacity to attempt, our will provides us the capacity to achieve. The difficulty in this is only identifying what brings us joy. Discovering the ingredients to happiness is what eludes us. And, the reason it eludes us can be explained metaphorically as an inability to "see the forest for the trees".

There are moments in life when we all experience happiness. And in those moments of experiencing joy we forget to capture it. I challenge you to remember what made you happy and allow it to make you happy again. Then find something that makes you happy enough to sustain that joy throughout your life, while knowing that you still have an unalienable right to the pursuit of even greater happiness.