Happiness is?
Last weekend my focus was on taking time out for me, to “fill my cup” and recharge. Time to top up my self-compassion tank. This is a key element to finding happiness and a successful journey. Many of us ask ourselves what happiness is and why is it so important? Others think that being happy whilst in the company of others is enough.
Whilst many of us feel happy when we are in the company of other like-minded people, however often this feeling is often short-lived. It is easy to look to others for our happiness, but the reality is we must find happiness deep within us for it to have meaning in our life. A quick fix is only temporary and when it fades, we start looking for other “quick happiness fixes”. It can be an exhausting process and can leave us feeling empty inside.
Happiness is not something ready made.
It comes from your own actions.
Dalai Lama
This emotion must come from us so that it becomes aligned to our values and resonates with us. Digging deep to understand what brings us joy and makes us happy. To journey into that quiet space deep within and explore the feelings that arise. What are they telling us? What is it that our soul is yearning for? Listening to these whispers is a bit like exploring our roadmap and making sense of our journey. Being supported as we are guided.
Last weekend, I hung out with some of my family as we celebrated my youngest grandchild’s birthday. It was a fun and noisy time with lots of food, drinks, play, and balloon popping! My granddaughter loved opening and playing with her presents, and later I asked her “what was the best part of her birthday”. She responded, “it was having my family at my house and playing with me”.
Out of the mouth of babes! Children intuitively know what they need and what brings them joy. Most of the time they pick up on emotions and intuitively gravitate to them, which leads them to their “happy place”. Even though it was exciting to get lots of presents, it was the human connection of family that had the greatest impact. Being able to share her special day with people she loves and trusts. People who are in her corner cheering her on, guiding and supporting her.
As adults, we sometimes lose sight of this and get a bit disconnected from our feelings. When this happens, it is a reminder that it is time to return home. To go within and ask ourselves “what is it that brings me joy and makes my heart sing”?
Going within to understand yourself better helps the healing process on so many levels and lays the foundation to set you for success. Happiness is a necessary ingredient to heal, it helps raise the energy of the body. When our body energy becomes raised and amplified, less negativity can impact us.
Here is my recipe to get started on your journey to find real happiness: –
1. Respect yourself: As you begin to respect yourself, you are accepting your values and beliefs. Starting to trust the fact that you are worthy and gain confidence to speak your truth and have a voice.
2. Love yourself: As you look in the mirror every day, remind yourself of all the positive attributes that you have. Know that this is what makes you unique and own your own story. These are your life lessons to learn.
3. Believe in yourself: When you love yourself, it is easy to believe in yourself. Your self-belief is the foundation that allows you to gain strength and acts as a building block to provide more structure to your road map.
4. Forgive yourself and others: When you forgive, it allows you to let go of deep-seated resentment. Letting go of the negativity that would otherwise fester within you creating dis-ease. Forgiveness is paramount to healing and in turn success. Holding onto negative thoughts and feelings uses too much energy, so let them go and free up this energy for positive thoughts and let happiness in.