Do you believe it’s your duty or responsibility to make someone else happy?

If you don’t, you might be labeled as a sociopath or someone with a lack of conscience. However, you’ll also experience a sense of freedom that most people will never know. This freedom allows you to live your life on your terms, unburdened by the weight of others’ emotions.

However, if you do believe it’s your responsibility, then you’re going to have to tread a very slippery slope. You’ll know when you start down this slope because if you pay attention, you’ll begin to notice their moods changing, sometimes erratically, in accordance with your behavior.

Taking responsibility for another person’s happiness can be a huge burden because, eventually, your life will be driven by how they feel and not by what you want.

This is not to say that you should start indulging in sociopathic behavior, but you should not position yourself as the single provider of a person’s happiness.

This principle applies to you as well. By being self-aware and understanding your own emotional needs, you can avoid the trap of relying on others for your happiness.

If you rely on someone else to make you feel happy, you are burdening them and abdicating responsibility for your own feelings. You are also leaving yourself vulnerable to their behavior and whims.

Managing or mastering one’s emotional state is a difficult task in itself and can take a lifetime of effort and practice. Ultimately, you’ll learn that only you can really make yourself happy, and you can only hope that others will learn that lesson for themselves, too.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, don’t keep it secret – share it with one person you love.