Have you ever felt like there was a secret for finding happiness that somehow skipped you? That you were destined to be miserable?
In our modern world, people have been conditioned to believe that their happiness is somewhere ‘out there’ in the future – that happiness is residing out inside of some item that they don’t yet have or an event that hasn’t yet happened.
You’ll hear women who say, “I’ll be so happy once he puts a ring on my finger.” Grad students who say, “I’ll be so happy once my thesis is finished.” Elected Officials who say, “I’ll be so happy when this budget is balanced.” Teens who say, “I’ll be so happy when I get my own car.” Moms who say, “I’ll be so happy when the baby starts to sleep all night.” Children who say, “I’ll be so happy when I get my trip to Disney Land.” Husbands who say, “I’ll be so happy once this bill is paid off.”
Happiness is not out there in a present – it is not waiting inside the box on your birthday, Christmas, Hanukah, your anniversary, or any other kind of gift.
Happiness is not out there in an event – it is not waiting for graduation, summer vacation, the ski trip, the engagement, the wedding, the final mortgage payment, the divorce papers, retirement, or any other momentous occasion.
Happiness is not out there in a thing – it is not waiting inside of the new Schwinn bike, the Valentino dress, the hot Mercedes-Benz, the Manolo Blahnik shoes, the big house, the state-of-the-art plasma TV, the latest smart-phone or any other piece of shiny bling you might covet.
It is fine to enjoy special occasions and having nice things; the problem comes when you hold the expectation that the ‘event’ or the ‘thing’ will make you happy…. And then it doesn’t. Nothing can ever live up to the expectation because outer happiness is an illusion, a fantasy. The real thing – joy – can only be found on the inside in the present moment.
Joy is a quality of Loving that exists on a continuum inside of you – the lowest level is perfect contentment and the highest level is pure bliss. Understand that joy is a quality of your Being. In other words, it is an energy that you will either experience internally or not. To experience more joy, all you have to do is take 100% responsibility for your own happiness, access this energy and breathe it in. As a quality of Loving, joy is your birthright! Think about a baby’s smile. A laughing toddler. An exuberant child. Joy is a child’s natural state of Being. When a child is allowed to freely play, to express imagination and creativity, joy pours forth like liquid sunshine. Even a starving child will have access to joy, and laugh with abandon.
You are a child of the universe. Joy is your natural state of Being. It is your birthright. You can begin to cultivate joy right here, right now, simply by claiming your power and tapping into your infinite source energy. Your access to joy is not dependent upon outer circumstances or things in any way – it is solely a choice to experience joy over suffering. Let go of seeking outer happiness, and get the joy flowing within. Say, “Joy is my natural state of Being. I am now filled with joy.”
Many Blessings of Joy and Vibrant Freedom
Action Step ~ Let go of seeking outer happiness, and choose joy from within. Declaration: I am 100% responsible for my own joy. I am now experiencing joy in every moment. Joy is my natural state of Being. I choose joy. I am joy!”
Additional Support: listen to this 8-minute closed-eye process on choosing joy; please refrain from driving while listening.