We see people getting angry everywhere. From road rage to social media, to news channels, anger is everywhere.
Perhaps it’s because it takes no effort to be angry. We don’t have to think. So many others are angry, even egging us on the be angry too. It’s very easy to get angry.
Being angry takes no effort.
It does take a lot of our energy, though. It leaves us with little energy for anything else that actually requires effort.
The sad thing about anger is that it seems to provide its own jump start. We don’t need to have the energy to get angry. We can be dead tired, and still, some story manages to infuse us with the energy to start being angry all over again.
It really is like a drug.
And like a drug, anger can consume us. We need it to become energized. We seek it out.
How else can we explain the amount of time we spend watching cable “news” programs?
Cable “news” is like the crack den for anger junkies.
And like drug dealers, the networks know how to hook their users, getting them to come back for another fix.
Being happy requires effort, at first.
Like any new habit, you have to be intentional as you develop happiness.
The first step is perhaps the hardest. Stop engaging with the anger dealers. Turn off cable “news” and block peddlers of anger in social media (or just stop social media altogether.)
Next, find joy in the little things. Seek out music that makes you smile or just feel good. Talk to people who have positive energy. If the sun is out, face the sky and smile. Look for the flowers, or the art, or the laughing child. Find the things that make you smile, even just a little.
Once you start making a habit of looking, you’ll find all sorts of things that can make you smile.
Before long, you just smile more with no extra effort. You may even become the one who helps others to smile.
The habit starts with effort and soon becomes a part of you.
You have the control not to be angry. It just takes a bit of effort to start.
