Have you ever said to yourself – I will be happy when I get ‘this’ or when I do ‘that’ or when I earn ‘this much money’ or when I meet my life partner ?
And then what happens when you achieve that milestone ? Are you happy or do you set yourself another milestone ?
True happiness is internal – it doesn’t come from any external factors, nor does it come from material things or another person.
True happiness comes from inside you – it’s a place you need to reach for yourself – where you feel like you are in alignment with the Universe, at peace with what you’re doing, the person that you are; and working to fulfilling your journey on earth.
I remember reading ‘The Art of Happiness’ by The Dalai Lama about 20 years ago – it stuck a real cord with me and got me thinking about it – I got obsessed with the book! I couldn’t put it down – I remember walking into the shower with it in my hand – sounds absolutely crazy but the impact was so profound… Thank you The Dalai Lama for starting me on this very powerful journey. One of my favourite things about a lot of spiritual texts is the focus on the internal.
How do you get to a place of happiness?
There’s no one formula – to me it’s been a lifestyle. I still get upset by the stresses of everyday life, I still worry when my loved ones are sick, I still fret about my weight, I still miss my supposed regular meditations – but on the whole, I feel so much more connected, I feel so grateful most of the time and I smile for no reason – just because.
To get to a happy place, you need to work on yourself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Your formula may be different from mine or even from that of your best friend’s.
Physical fitness could be yoga for you and cardio for someone else or dance for a third.
Some people meditate to help themselves mentally, emotionally and spiritually, others chant or pray, some people do acts of kindness, others write affirmations and yet others do journaling. Do one of these, all of these, whatever works for you.
Food of course helps with everything – eat mindfully and what agrees with you.
Forgive easily and if you’re struggling to forgive – write down what’s bothering you and burn it – it’s a great exercise in letting go.
Most importantly for me, I have begun to recognise when Grace flows through me now, I have begun to recognise when the Universe is acting through me, when I’m fulfilling my purpose for being on the earth – and there has been no greater happiness than that in my life.
