Happy
Life
“Happiness
is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in
harmony.”
Mahatma
Gandhi
Author, radio host, and
voice-actor, Tom Bodett, says there are only three things that one
needs to be happy: “someone to love, something to do, and something
to hope for.” I agree with this summation. Sometimes we get wants
and needs mixed up, and we think we'd be happier if only we had
something we want—like a Mercedes, or a beach house. I know, and
I'll bet you know, people who have everything they want and need, and
still are not “happy.” Conversely, we know any number of people
who have very little in the way of material possessions, who are
quite content.
I have come to believe
that happiness is not the result of anything that happens outside
oneself. It's not tied in any way to what we have. It is, in fact, a
product of being and becoming oneself in one's fullness. In other
words, we feels happiest when we are standing squarely within our own
being. When no part is in doubt about what is me and what is not me.
That seems ridiculous, but we confuse them all the time. We worry
about this and that—our kids, our jobs, our world. Our vital energy
flows outward to all sorts of things, and dissipates into thin air,
because all those things are not ours to control. When we stay with
ourselves, breathe into the fears we have for our kids, our jobs, our
world, feel our feet on the ground and our focus on the present
moment, we feel contented even though nothing has changed out there.
You don't have to be an intellectual genius, just steer clear of angry, negative thoughts about things that don't belong to you. You don't have to speak lofty words, just say what's in your heart. You don't have to be a giant of industry or CEO of a fortune 500; just do what you love to the very best of your ability. Let what you think, say and do be an authentic expression of who you are.
When we exist fully
within ourselves, we are involved and engaged with our world; what we
think, say and do flows from a solid and stable core. That feels
secure no matter what the conditions around us may be. Learning to
trust oneself is the first step toward a happier life.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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