for more years of my life than i care to admit, i was consumed with figuring out how to make those around me happy.  and if they ever reached that state of happiness, i then made it my job to figure out how to help them maintain that state.  i would beat myself up if the people i loved seemed unhappy, discontent or disappointed.  it took me a really long time to break that mindset.

at the end of the day, i am only in control of my own happiness – no one else’s.

“i cannot make you happy, but i can commit to support you in the creation of your own happiness”  –yung pueblo 

when i read this quote for the first time, it brought tears to my eyes.  while i had changed my mindset years ago about being able to make another person happy, i could not quite figure out why i initially felt guilt.  i think part of it felt like i was abandoning someone i loved while they were on an important journey.  to me, this quote highlights that while i cannot make someone happy, i can still walk alongside them in their journey to find happiness without doing the work for them.  that is the beauty of it all.

how do you create your own happiness?  how do you support your loved ones in creating their own happiness?

xoxo,

k. tap

p.s. i know i have been posting a ton of poetry lately (all in lowercase letters just like how i like to write) – now you know how much reading i get done when i have time away from work.  i hope you are enjoying it as much as i am. 🙂