As we go through the journey of life, we often have expectations, if not hope, that we will grow old being happy. Many believe that wealth may be what defines their ability to live a happy life because they have enough material resources to take care of their needs and much more.  Some believe that to be happy, they should be surrounded by family and people who will love and take care of them.   There are also those who believe that they must continue to work to be happy because they cannot imagine a world where they have to sit at home passing time.  I also know that many will look to God and spirituality to help them achieve happiness in their sunset years.

To seek happiness, one must ideally start with humility.  Be humble enough to accept that many things are truly not in your control.  To take a quote from the Serenity Prayer, be humble enough to have the “serenity to accept the things I cannot change, and the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know that difference”.  Fighting what you cannot change can bring a lot of unhappiness and resentment mostly stemming from the inability to let go of what is in the past. Living with regret and envy of what isn’t or what could have been can consume all the oxygen of happiness.

“A day older and a day wiser” can be a good guide.  Wisdom is the key to unlocking the happiness that awaits you in the next part of one’s journey.  Learning from the successes and failures of life is a better road forward than getting stuck in the potholes of despair and regret.  The wisdom to make these life’s lessons work in your favor requires an open mind, and it is that mind that will open your heart to true happiness forward.

If you believe in God, then trust in God to guide you.  When you are at peace with yourself and with God then you will find the quiet happiness even when surrounded by the many storms around your life.  Learn to pray and trust in Him because there is nothing greater that can be give you strength and courage.