Most people, in their pursuit of happiness, try to control other people and/or situations that influence their lives. In life however there are those things which we can control, and those which we can’t.
If we base our happiness on such things we will put ourselves in a constant and intense state of stress because most of life’s events are beyond our control and unpredictable. What we can do, that which is within our control, is our reaction to those events. In that way we can recover our strength in the face of the unpredictable, by not allowing those events to control us.
But how is that possible? The answer lies in the way that we interpret the events and experiences in our lives. How we view those events is what determines reactions such as upset, disappointment, anger, sadness etc. or, on the other hand, our composure – grace under pressure. Our freedom lies in our power to choose how we interpret and thus react to situations.
To achieve that requires KNOWLEDGE: knowledge of who we are and why we are, knowledge of what we are here on Earth to do, and knowledge of the universal laws which govern our existence.
In that way we come to determine our own lives and become the creators of our own happiness. That is the primal indicator of “love of self”.
All that is required is to WANT to do it. If you want to be happy, you can be happy.