Three reasons why happiness is more important than love

We hear all the time that ‘love makes the world go round’ and ‘all you need is love’, and undoubtably, love is the one thing that gives us a feeling of acceptance and contentment to be who we are. Loving others and finding love around us, creates a positive energy which attracts more love and positivity into our lives.

 

However, if you are not content within yourself, is it possible to truly love others and find fulfillment from those relationships? The friendships and partners we attract reflect how we feel about ourselves. Family is different as we do not choose our family members and some people can be extremely abusive and toxic to their own family, but you can limit your time spent with people who do not reflect your values or bring you down.

 

True happiness comes from a feeling of fulfillment and contentment in your life in general. This includes the relationships you have, your health, your outlook on life and your career. You can still be happy and wish to change things about your life, or desire a better financial situation, a better social life or a better job, but generally, you will feel content. Yes, there will be days when you feel down and yes, there will be times when the events in your life do not make you feel happy, but overall, as a state, you are happy.

 

Yes, we need people around us to have fulfilling relationships, to socialize with others and to love and be kind to (all things which help us to feel good), but if you do not appreciate who you are as a person, or dislike yourself for some reason, it will affect all of those things regardless.

 

When it comes to loving people, if you are not fully happy within yourself or do not like certain aspects about your life, the people you love, may not bring the best out in you. Similarly, your behaviours may change in relationships because you want the love you give to be reciprocated.

 

Without high self-esteem you may be more susceptible to listen to criticism, rise to arguments, try control or manipulate others, or become needy or co-dependent. It is therefore, of utmost importance that everyone works on the relationship they have with themselves and focus on putting themselves first. You are more important than anyone else in your life.

 

Here are 3 reasons why happiness is more important than love

 

1. You only need to rely on yourself to find true happiness – when they say happiness comes from within, it is 100% true. No one can make you happy, just as no one can make you unhappy. True happiness comes from how you feel about yourself, others and the world, and as much as others can influence your happiness, others cannot make you feel ashamed, guilty, embarrassed, belittled or self-conscious – all of that comes from within.

 

2. A happy person will attract more supportive and fulfilling relationships – the more confident you are in yourself, the better you will treat others because you respect yourself and you will also know your values, your limits and your non-negociables in a relationship. You therefore, will only seek out people who fit these criteria and will not waste your time on people who do not fulfill your needs.

 

3. You will be more successful in relationships and in your career if you are happy – happy people are more reflective, more emotionally intelligent, and better leaders because they do not need validation from employees or people in their network. Happy people have conviction in their decisions, stick to what they believe is right and wrong, and take feedback better. This, in turn, makes the workplace and home more manageable and less conflicting.

 

Love, without doubt, is what gets us through tough times. It helps us see the good in sad situations and gives us the feeling of utter contentment when we sustain healthy relationships that help us through the milestones of our lives. Love from other people can make you feel on top of the world, can help you regain your faith in humanity if it is lost, and can give you a whole range of emotions that you do not get from loving yourself. But, without doubt, the most important first step of any successful relationship is self-love and without it, a whole host of problems can occur with others.

 

Put yourself first. Invest in improving the relationship you have with yourself. Value your time, your opinions, your beliefs and your energy, and do not waste it on people who are undeserving of it. Spend your time looking after your mind, body and soul and once you are at peace with yourself, know that your relationships with others will elevate your life further because you have chosen well and respect yourself completely.