Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Here's a Simple Solution to Happiness
Ask your self a simple question: Do you want to be happy?
Ask your self again; do you really want to be happy? Do you deserve to be happy? Are you doing everything in your power to be happy? Or do you think happiness is something for the wealthy, the good-looking, royalty, and the spiritually advanced?
If you think happiness is not for you then stop right now. You might not be ready for this. On the other hand; if you are ready for happiness, then read on.
First allow me to explain that “Being Happy” is a state of existence that is driven from the inside out. From the beginning of human history we have been searching for happiness.
Unfortunately we have placed material gain as our happiness. We think that having this or getting that will make us happy. Most of our daily functions and overall desires all revolve around satisfying our material needs in the mistaken attempt to be happy. Being satisfied is a key goal in our current "materialistic society."
Then something that the spiritually advanced noticed quickly was that everything material is impermanent; beauty fades, youth withers away, things wear out and break, everything material gathers dust and needs storage space. So happiness cannot depend on the material things we seek.
So as this revelation was made clearer, many ancient traditions focused on the opposite, the spiritual. Thus, you begin looking on the spiritual side, studying ancient texts, following spiritual leaders, and so on. Soon you'll notice their complexity. The more you learn the more you get confused. Eventually, the main goal; happiness, is lost in the maze of information overload.
Some, the very adept, are able to reach that state of pure happiness through spiritual ascension, via ascetic practices. However let us be realistic here; going on retreat to the middle of nowhere and living in a monastery devoid of life's trials and tribulations, just does not seem like a practical option for a normal human being living in the modern world. Heck, for us, the normal human beings, spiritual ascension is a goal we might want; but not at the expense of "living life to the fullest."
All of us know that our time is our most precious commodity. We love to live life in the moment and we enjoy life more when we are in action. We like doing, evolving, learning, interacting, being, moving; this is who and what we are.
Sitting in a room quietly for thirty minutes, then thrusting your self into this hectic world and thinking everything is going to be perfect is not a realistic view of life. Plus, with bills, spouses, bosses, coworkers, offspring, traffic, and other obstacles, one needs a "real world" approach to this fast-paced life.
So we must do what humans do, adapt and overcome. We change our view to this statement: Personal contentment is more important than spiritual ascension.
You see only with personal contentment can you ascend spiritually. You discover your spiritual side through being content. Personal contentment does not mean material or sensory satisfaction. Personal contentment means to be truly happy with yourself right here and now.
You only ever have right now, the present moment to exist. You do not exist yesterday, and you do not exist tomorrow. You are here right now, and that’s it. Happiness is a choice; you must choose to be happy right now. You can not wait to be happy tomorrow for it may not arrive, you must be now.
Have a dream to guide your life, but be grateful for what you have right now. You know you can find things to be grateful about, so be grateful for what you can. When you are contemplating the things you are grateful for, you will notice a sense of contentment creeping in. A subtle feeling of peace and happiness; this is what you enjoy in the right now. Personal contentment brings peace of mind.
So be grateful for what you can, and be grateful frequently. You will find that the more you are grateful, the more you will have to be grateful about.
Be Blessed
Ask your self again; do you really want to be happy? Do you deserve to be happy? Are you doing everything in your power to be happy? Or do you think happiness is something for the wealthy, the good-looking, royalty, and the spiritually advanced?
If you think happiness is not for you then stop right now. You might not be ready for this. On the other hand; if you are ready for happiness, then read on.
First allow me to explain that “Being Happy” is a state of existence that is driven from the inside out. From the beginning of human history we have been searching for happiness.
Unfortunately we have placed material gain as our happiness. We think that having this or getting that will make us happy. Most of our daily functions and overall desires all revolve around satisfying our material needs in the mistaken attempt to be happy. Being satisfied is a key goal in our current "materialistic society."
Then something that the spiritually advanced noticed quickly was that everything material is impermanent; beauty fades, youth withers away, things wear out and break, everything material gathers dust and needs storage space. So happiness cannot depend on the material things we seek.
So as this revelation was made clearer, many ancient traditions focused on the opposite, the spiritual. Thus, you begin looking on the spiritual side, studying ancient texts, following spiritual leaders, and so on. Soon you'll notice their complexity. The more you learn the more you get confused. Eventually, the main goal; happiness, is lost in the maze of information overload.
Some, the very adept, are able to reach that state of pure happiness through spiritual ascension, via ascetic practices. However let us be realistic here; going on retreat to the middle of nowhere and living in a monastery devoid of life's trials and tribulations, just does not seem like a practical option for a normal human being living in the modern world. Heck, for us, the normal human beings, spiritual ascension is a goal we might want; but not at the expense of "living life to the fullest."
All of us know that our time is our most precious commodity. We love to live life in the moment and we enjoy life more when we are in action. We like doing, evolving, learning, interacting, being, moving; this is who and what we are.
Sitting in a room quietly for thirty minutes, then thrusting your self into this hectic world and thinking everything is going to be perfect is not a realistic view of life. Plus, with bills, spouses, bosses, coworkers, offspring, traffic, and other obstacles, one needs a "real world" approach to this fast-paced life.
So we must do what humans do, adapt and overcome. We change our view to this statement: Personal contentment is more important than spiritual ascension.
You see only with personal contentment can you ascend spiritually. You discover your spiritual side through being content. Personal contentment does not mean material or sensory satisfaction. Personal contentment means to be truly happy with yourself right here and now.
You only ever have right now, the present moment to exist. You do not exist yesterday, and you do not exist tomorrow. You are here right now, and that’s it. Happiness is a choice; you must choose to be happy right now. You can not wait to be happy tomorrow for it may not arrive, you must be now.
Have a dream to guide your life, but be grateful for what you have right now. You know you can find things to be grateful about, so be grateful for what you can. When you are contemplating the things you are grateful for, you will notice a sense of contentment creeping in. A subtle feeling of peace and happiness; this is what you enjoy in the right now. Personal contentment brings peace of mind.
So be grateful for what you can, and be grateful frequently. You will find that the more you are grateful, the more you will have to be grateful about.
Be Blessed
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