In a society where many are broken with feelings of sadness or despair, people often look to others to find happiness. Happiness is not something that can be found anywhere in the world, although a beautiful setting on the ocean can momentarily allow happiness to ferment. While on vacation we are often lost in the moment, but When the vacation is over happiness is lost to the daily grind.

Treating cancer patients on a daily basis allows me to witness the yearning for feeling good. Scared of what outcomes may bring, patients are often met with a choice…they can choose to worry about when they are going to die or how they are going to live. Those who worry about the preceding will undoubtedly return with more to worry about. Those who learn to live, find something magical in the radiation treatment room. Happiness I found in the quiet room, where they are left alone with their thoughts and their maker. While outcomes of a cure are not guaranteed happiness is. Happiness is often found when the patient looks into the mirror and accepts themselves for they are and chooses to live as if there was no tomorrow.

Witnessing the sadness, we inadvertently offer a program to the saddened individual. A program which, like the vacation in Hawaii offers, gives the person an opportunity to feel good. The program, Look Good Feel Better sponsored by The American Cancer Society, offers an afternoon of pampering and fellowship among other survivors. Sadly, only one percent of them will see a new outlook on life, taking away a feeling of happiness during the most difficult time. One percent of them I’ll apply what they learn during this program, into their daily lives. One percent will find beauty within and project it outward into their daily lives.

Just as Look Good Feel Better offers hope, we all have this opportunity of seeing ourselves as we truly are. Sadly, as in this small group of survivors, most will return to their fear-filled lives and begin decaying as before. What happens? As human nature and our conditioned response to our daily lives, we believe that our answers we seek re on the outside. The answers are not Ono the outside, but have always been on the inside. We need only go inward to seek happiness.

Happiness is not something we can find inward or outward, but it is something. Simply choose to believe. It is that simple. Accept ourselves for who we are, where we are in life and trust that all will be good. Our time is not guaranteed, but our happiness is…we just need to accept it…even during the darkest of times.

Stepping into the Canvas accepting ourselves as we are. Not knowing where we are going in life, what legacy will be left, or who we truly are, we can accept a simple truth of being Loved by the divine. Be accepted for being true to our ourselves. The most difficult part is looking beyond the mirror, stripping delusion of the flesh.

“It is better to be accepted for being who they do not want vs. being accepted for who they want.”