Welcome To The Course

This course is designed to challenge you to become a more content and happy person.

Through this course, it is my hope that you will open yourself up to experiencing life in the present moment. I want you to embrace life fully and to be present to all of it. In this course we will examine the distinction between happiness and joy. We will learn how important it is to gain control of our thoughts. We will encourage each other to overcome the obstacles that are keeping us anxious, fearful and frustrated. Only when we are present to life can we ever hope to experience real, lasting happiness.

I "Need" You To Be Happy

I realized something about myself...Something that really limits my ability to be happy and content in life. I realized that I often feel responsible for other people in my life to be happy. If they are not happy, I tend to get anxious and frustrated.

At first that sounds like a good quality. Isn't it a good thing to want the people around you to be happy? But, the problem is, I can't control other people's moods. In reality, I can't "make" someone else happy. All I can do is try to cheer them up when they are down.

Here is the problem: If I need everyone around me to be happy before I can be happy, then I will probably not end up happy very often. And if I am not happy, it will be really hard for me to be able to help cheer someone else up. So, chances are, I will get caught in a very unproductive loop.

What I can do is free myself from this false belief that I can only be happy if everyone around me is happy.

Why am I so affected by other people's moods?

I need to respect that everyone has the right to be in whatever mood they are in. I need to be compassionate with them and do all I can do to help them...But, the most important thing I can do is be a little less negatively affected by other people.

I need to take ownership and responsibility for my own mood and my own happiness each day. I need to focus on all of the beauty and blessings around me and be grateful for all of the good things in my life. As I choose happiness every day, I choose to brighten people's lives. I choose to love people, whatever mood they may be in. I choose freedom and peace and joy...You can do the same!  

Welcome to this course,

Dr. Tom LaHue