What makes you happy?
What makes you happy?
Is it singing in the rain? Laying on the beach?
Walking in a forest?
Taking photos? Hiking a mountain?
Traveling to faraway places?
Whatever it is, go do it, and do it as often as possible.
That way the next time someone asks “What makes you happy?” you can say:
Life! Life makes me happy!
This may come to a surprise to the people that know me, but I’ve asked myself this question so many times these past few years and it’s honestly been one of the hardest questions I’ve had to answer for myself. It feels so silly to not be able to answer such a seemingly easy question with a long list of answers, but when you’ve had your world ripped apart time and again it becomes harder. I was stripped down to a bare version of what we call life. Finding hope in anything seemed such a challenge and a numbness took hold. Finding even one simple thing that made me happy felt like the hardest thing I’d ever done.
For anyone that knows me personally, they will tell you that I am a happy person (some people say I’m the happiest person they’ve ever met!). What I said above doesn’t discount the fact that I AM a happy person. I love life and I love sharing joy with others and it took me a long time to realize that that was one of the things that made me happy. Smiling to give others a ray of hope and seeing others smile back brings me a happiness I can’t explain in words. And there are so many other things that make me happy. I’ll touch on those in a little bit…
I was recently asked if I believed the universe would provide all that I needed in life. The question took me back a bit and I can honestly say that in those moments I reverted to a place where I questioned myself whether it did or not. The fear of being back in a dark place shook me awake and made me realize that it was just a trauma response to where I’d been and not what I truly felt now. I do believe that the universe will provide what is needed. One must be open to the idea that we have to make a choice to be who we were always meant to be: Whole, capable, and full of everything we need within ourselves. We are our own universe and we create the truths and lies we speak to ourselves. I don’t need anyone else’s validation to know that I am capable of anything I put my mind to.
Once you can answer the question to yourself of what makes you happy, and I mean an honest answer, not just a cliché forced answer, but a feel in your gut truth that embodies what makes you you kind of answer, then a whole new world starts to open up around you. Things click into place and new truths come to you in ways that you didn’t think could be possible. The universe is just waiting for you to answer yes to living your life.
Knowing what makes you happy doesn’t mean that it will always be easy, or that you’ll always be happy, but it does mean that you know what fills your proverbial cup and it becomes easier to get through the tough spots when you do. The universe is filled with resistance. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will get through life without having to actively pursue happiness. It is absolutely a choice.
Okay Ken (you must be asking by now) what makes you happy (and why the hell are you bringing this up on a photo blog)?
I’m happy you asked. :D
It was at my darkest point a couple of years ago that I felt this really strong pull to get into photography. With the advent of modern smartphones, pictures became easier to take and keep and share. I found myself taking more and more and as I felt the pull to get out into nature more, the want to capture my experiences naturally became even more of a desire. So, I took a leap into the deep end and bought a really nice camera (Sony Alpha 7IV - still my current camera). I didn’t expect to just go out and shoot and instantly become good at it. I knew, like anything in life, I had to work hard and make a choice to become better every time I did. I watched endless hours of YouTube videos on how to setup my camera, experimented with different settings and compositions, but most importantly I just got out as often as I could and shot photos. I didn’t put any kind of pressure on myself to be the best photographer in the world (I still don’t), I just go out and shoot because I ABSOLUTELY LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY and you know what? It makes me HAPPY!
You know what else makes me happy?
There are so many things, but one is sharing my joy of photography and nature with all of you! Much like that smile I love to give while walking down the street, writing and expressing myself to you in this form is the same. Can you see my smile? I can see yours. Thank you. :D
What else makes me happy you ask?
LIFE - LIFE MAKES ME HAPPY!
I’m going to give all of you a Challenge: What makes you happy? I’d love to hear it. Send me a message!
