Taking Responsibility for Our Happiness

Excerpt from THE LIVING SPIRIT by Sheryl Iris Glick

A famous quote from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in a speech made by Cassius, the roman nobleman, made a strong and lasting impression on me. When Cassius was trying to persuade Brutus that Julius Caesar must be stopped from becoming the monarch of Rome for the public’s best interest, he said:

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”

Since I receive intuitive messages for my clients, many people have asked me, “How can I find peace and happiness in my life?” This is the answer I give them: “Before there can be peace and happiness in a person’s life and in the world, every person must be responsible to do their own work about acknowledging what needs to change within their attitudes or actions so that they may better relate to the outer world. Finding true happiness and joy is the natural outcome of self-investigation. There are no short cuts. No one can make you happy or unhappy unless you give him or her the power to do that by surrendering or giving your own power away.

It may seem easier to become a victim and align yourself with other unhappy people, making your status or inclusion in a group secure. But this is a copout. Most people want to be loved and accepted by a group, regardless of the cost to their own individual character. Therefore they tell themselves many stories in order to be accepted by others. Many less evolved souls may even choose to blame parents, spouses, or children for any unhappiness they experience or any delays in achieving their immediate goals or desires. However, it is not only by our own efforts and choices that each of us can develop a sense of accomplishment and self-growth, but by recognizing the greater whole of our being and the role we play in creating everything in our lives.

Many seek to be the best they can be and are encouraged to be perfect. They do not allow less for themselves than what others deem to be perfect for them. But since we are always in a state of change, the ideas and wishes of others are not nearly as important as our welcoming the experiences and challenges that surface and handling them to the best of our ability.

We should aim to become a person who doesn’t find fault in others, moving past personal obstacles with courage, hope, and faith to find peace. Be free of any influence of others that take that state of mind-peace away from you.

“How simple it is to see that we can only be happy now, and that there will never be a time when it is not now.”

–Gerald G. Jampolsky, MD

Psychiatrist and best-selling author of Love is Letting Go of Fear, Founder of Centers of Attitudinal Healing

Recognizing another avenue for finding happiness is possible when we finally admit, “Not only are we not perfect, no one is perfect.” We must continue to learn what makes us tick, and what makes others react as they do, but should acknowledge that we can only change ourselves and our outdated thinking by realizing we are responsible for our own actions. The choice to accept others and ourselves with our frailties and sometimes negative behaviors can be hard, yet it is necessary in order to have times when we feel like we are on cloud 9.

We must realize that each person perceives the world according to his or her life experiences, both present and past; therefore, we will never fully understand another’s behavior or their reasons for doing things differently than we do. This realization is the key to allowing and accepting everything and everyone without judgment, anxiety, fear, pain, anger or hate. It is, you will find, the only way for us to experience true contentment while we are on this three-dimensional plane.

Each of us is unique and we are on different karmic and energetic pursuits. As we learn to apply energetic laws and use them more consistently, we will help create a more harmonious world. Those who understand and live by these laws of energy will have less friction and fewer confrontations in their relationships. Individuals practicing the higher laws of spirit may share this expanding wisdom and state of harmony with others and be an influence for change as their behavior and actions exhibit a positive energy state. With great knowledge comes a greater responsibility to exchange these ideas with those who will listen.