The best way to start being more happy is to stop being unhappy.
— Robert Koch
Years ago, I had the opportunity to go on a backpacking trip as a leader in our scout troop. As a leader of the group and a chronic over-preparer, I backed a lot more gear in my pack than I really needed. When I was done preparing for the backpacking trip, my pack was over 45 pounds.
We arrived at the trail and proceeded to do the hike which was only a couple miles long, but in that distance we climbed over 1,400 feet. That was a significant climb. At the time, I was in reasonable, but not great shape and doing that climb while carrying a 45 pound pack was really challenging.
After that backpacking trip, I decided I would never take so much extra gear on a backpacking trip again. Now, when I go backpacking I carry a pack that weighs less than half of that 45 pound pack and I enjoy backpacking much more.
Like me climbing that hill, many of us carry a heavy load every day. We spend our time trying to find happiness in our daily journey, but we are loaded down by an extremely heavy pack. We carry burdens of unhappiness, discontent, and worry. And this all weighs us down.
We can have a happier journey through our daily lives. Just like I improved my backpacking experiences by getting rid of gear I didn’t need, the easiest way to be happier is to just get rid of the load of unhappiness we are carrying. We can get let go of our negative feelings and choose to focus on the positive things that surround us. That is the real secret to happiness.
What negative emotions are you focusing on in your life? How can you let go of those negative emotions and choose to be happier?