“The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.” ~ Mark Twain
Do you ever feel like you just wish someone would cheer you up? Nothing creates such a sure path to unhappiness as looking outside yourself for someone or something to make you happy. People sometimes expect their spouses to cheer them up….single people often search tirelessly for a “significant other” to complete them…elderly people may look for their children to make them feel better….sometimes people even expect coworkers to pay attention to their moods and strive to lift them up if they’re feeling gloomy.
You might even expect strangers to bring you happiness. You want the waitress to be friendly, the cashier to smile and the doctor to have a warm bedside manner.
The simple truth is that you alone are responsible for your happiness.
No one- absolutely no one – can make you happy but you.
Looking for happiness outside yourself is setting yourself up for disappointment. Expecting other people to cheer you up may hurt both you and them.
As Mark Twain said, there is a simpler solution.
Put that energy into looking for someone to help, not for someone to help you.
The world is full of lonely and hurting people, and you have more power than you think you do to spread positive feelings.
If you set a goal each day to bring happiness to others rather than looking for cheer to come from others, you would lift your own spirits in the process.
Look for someone to smile at. Look for someone that needs a helping hand, a phone call, a bag of groceries carried, a door opened.
There is always room for improvement. Follow in the footsteps of those who have perfected the art of spreading happiness.
As Mother Teresa said, “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”
And you will feel more cheerful in the process.
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