{"id":703,"date":"2011-03-17T06:27:47","date_gmt":"2011-03-17T13:27:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.matthewliberty.com\/?p=703"},"modified":"2011-03-17T06:27:47","modified_gmt":"2011-03-17T13:27:47","slug":"preventing-happiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threeadventure.com\/matthewliberty\/2011\/03\/17\/preventing-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"Preventing Happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Success\"<\/a>
Image by aloshbennett via Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Do you ever feel stuck? Do you ever tell yourself you can\u2019t do something due to work, money, or family obligations?<\/p>\n

Does the car you own define who you are to others? If you sleep on a mattress on the floor are you a lesser person? If you haven\u2019t purchased a new pair of jeans in over three years are you cool enough to have friends?<\/p>\n

What if you didn\u2019t have to feel that way? What would it take to be genuinely and authentically happy?<\/p>\n

I ask these questions because I want you to think, I want you to push yourself toward finding these answers and than seeing what you\u2019re going to do about it. I ask because the way we currently define ourselves is shit and the time for change is now. I ask out of curiosity and wanting to learn\u2026because I am as guilty as anyone.<\/p>\n

My personal life journey has been full of excuses and self established boundaries. I have also defined myself by what I have, and therefore by what I don\u2019t have (material things). Are you better than me if you have the newest cell phone and a way bigger desktop monitor than me? What I\u2019m getting at is that happiness, and success, are not in a thing\u2026they are inside of you. \u201cBeing happy\u201d is a decision, it is a state of mind.<\/p>\n

Things can offer momentary giddiness and excitement, but happiness comes from finding you and not allowing yourself to be defined by the things you own or how much money you have. That being said, we (my wife and I) work very hard to make money and I work very hard at building my business, but that is because I enjoy it\u2026the process that it. But we have definitely made a decision to live with less \u201ccrap\u201d and attempt to be more mobile\u2026less stuff we\u2019re attached to, the more mobile we become.<\/p>\n

For the last five to seven years I have really been on this journey (although I did not know it when it started) to find happiness\u2026and happiness for me was when I was able to determine who I am, not who others think I am. The ability to not attach myself to stuff, to not put so much value in \u201cthings\u201d has been amazingly eye opening\u2026and liberating. Also, getting rid of \u201cstuff\u201d and learning to live with fewer physical possessions has been enormously gratifying.<\/p>\n

I am still working this whole thing out, fine tuning this and adapting to that\u2026but I have never been happier\u2026EVER! So you really should find out what\u2019s holding you back, why you make excuses that prevent you from being happy; after all, this is our one shot at life, might as well make it a good one!!<\/p>\n

\"Enhanced<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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