What makes you happy? Take a step back and really think. You’ll probably picture your family, friends and any other loved ones you may have. Other people can have an undeniably huge impact on our own outlook on life and many times our happiness; however, there is a fine line that we need to be cautious of crossing.
While it’s important to surround yourself with people who make you happy, it’s not OK to let those people control your happiness. “Control” may seem like a harsh word, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not completely out of the question. At first glance this may not make sense, but it’s an important realization to come to terms with.
Naturally as humans, we can become so caught up in the things going on around us. If someone we’re close with is struggling, we feel for him or her on a personal level. If someone we’re close with is feeling down, we may also find ourselves in a not-so-great mood as a direct result. While it may seem impossible and somewhat heartless to disconnect yourself from others’ emotions, sometimes it’s the only option.
There’s nothing wrong with empathy; however, when that compassion begins to impact the way we begin to live our own lives, it can become a problem. While having meaningful relationships with others can make us happy, it can also make us feel quite the opposite. It’s important to support the ones you love in their times of need, but letting their personal struggles impact your happiness is a recipe for disaster. Your happiness is not directly correlated to the happiness of another human being, and failing to acknowledge that will leave you feeling hopeless in the end.
At the same time, we should be making our own happiness, not relying on others to provide it for us. One human being should never single-handedly control the way you feel about yourself or your life in general on a given day. The only person who can control your happiness is you. Never blame your unhappiness on the actions or emotions of someone who you are willingly allowing to be a part of your life. Surround yourself with people who have a positive impact on your life, and never waste your time letting negative people get the best of your emotions.
In the end, anyone who truly cares about you will not allow his or her personal struggles to negatively affect you. While it may seem like common sense, it can be far from it in certain situations and often ends up being something you learn with time and experience. It’s easy for someone to say that they whole-heartedly care your happiness, but it’s another for them to respect you enough to do something about it, even if it calls for drastic measures.
If someone you love makes you unhappy, ask yourself if they love you back. Life is much too short to tend to poor relationships with little to no reciprocation. Think positively and you will live positively. Make yourself happy because in the end, you’ll end up being surrounded by people who deserve to be, too.
