I believe that in order to find happiness in life I must loose myself in something bigger than myself. I acquired this belief from my twelfth grade English teacher. He gave this lesson to the class one day, and was so passionate about this idea that I found myself thinking about it and drawing connections between this idea and my life. I have now adopted the idea and reflect on it from time to time. I use this lesson to measure my experiences and guide me in my search for happiness.
He told us that in order to find happiness in life it is critical to find something that you have so much passion for, you lose yourself in it. It can be difficult to find something to have such a passion for, but every person is different, and this passion can be found in anything. For some people it is a relationship with a girlfriend or boyfriend, a sport, career, or hobby. He spoke of his relationship with his wife and how he has found endless happiness in it.
About a month after my teacher gave this lesson, I came across a quote in my religion class, “The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have” Norman Vincent Peale. This quote acted as a support for what I already believed in. It also added another idea as well; that the happiness will in turn bring you endless energy because what you found is something that can not satisfy you to the point of contentment. It is then that you will discover that what you have found is something far bigger than yourself.
Throughout my life I have found things that I have been passionate about. I have had a love for hockey ever since I started playing, but I always knew that it would not satisfy my life completely. This is just an example of an interest of the many things that are a part of my life; and because I have not “lost myself” in anything yet does not mean I have wasted my time on anything. It is a process and requires time, commitment, and hope to find what can bring endless happiness.
This belief I have developed in this past year has had a significant impact on the outlook of my life. I am able to view my vast future as an opportunity to accomplish something in my lifetime that will bring meaning and endless happiness. At this point in my life I am only seventeen, and have not lost myself in anything yet. But I am optimistic in my pursuit, and I truly believe that I will find something that I am so passionate for. I am graduating high school in a few months and I have no idea about what path of life I would like to go down next year. It is scary and exciting and I truly look forward to broadening my horizons in an attempt to find what truly makes me happy.