Part I: The Happiness Perspective
Is happiness possible?
Everybody wants a happy life, but it is elusive to many.
I recently spoke to a woman about the idea of happiness. She stated that she felt being truly happy is not possible, that you can be happy in a certain circumstance, such as getting a promotion or receiving a gift, but not happy in general. How sad to feel as though no one can be truly happy. I disagree with this point of view. I know people who are incredibly happy with their lives, including me. It has nothing to do with how much money they have. In fact, those I know with the most money are the least happy overall.
The ones who have true happiness are the ones who feel a sense of fulfillment. They live a life that is perfect for who they are at their core, living in accordance with their true nature. They develop a lifestyle that includes self-control and taking responsibility for what they create in their lives. They revel in the small daily joys that provide them with a laugh or a sense of discovery.
Those who live in fear of what may come next and who adopt a sense of helplessness and hopelessness are unhappy. The ones who continuously chase after a goal derived from what others say will make them happy find that joy is always just out of reach. Each individual must determine for him- or herself what it means to be happy. Define what happiness means to you and get aligned with it.
You likely have a wish list waiting to materialize. Is it a list of stuff or a way of being that you seek? What if all of your desires came true? Do you believe it is possible? Do you think you have the ability to bring good things into your life in a positive way?
Tough questions to be sure. You may fluctuate between self-trust and uncertainty. When doubt creeps in, it sets up the potential for self-sabotage and procrastination. Sabotaging the potential for your dreams to become reality allows you to remove responsibility for why you do not have the things you want. The truth is, we are responsible for manifesting every single thing that is in our lives.
Unfortunately, it seems so much easier to believe that you have absolutely no control over what is in your life, blaming it on fate or the things your relatives did to you. When you find yourself blaming others for what is going on in your world, take a step back and ask yourself how you are contributing to your success or difficulty. Go deep into your questioning and include your basic beliefs, the regular thoughts running through your mind, and your actions or lack thereof. A pattern will emerge that leads to the understanding of how you are the master of your life and what you are doing to bring things into being—positive or negative. You have brought everything into your life that exists there right now. Realizing this helps you to understand the immense power you possess to change whatever it is you no longer want and to manifest your desires.
What does your world look like right now? Is it bright with opportunities or dull with boredom? What do you want it to look like? Understand what each part of your life looks like until they all align. Depending on what is happening around you, your mood, your physical condition, and many other factors, your view of the world you live in can vary. In the sense that each of us has a reality based on our unique perception, everyone lives in a different world. This is the Law of Infinite Universes.
What goes on in your world? Do you have control, or do you feel helpless? Do you use your power, or do you submit to those around you? The decisions you make each day are based in the constructs and framework you have built, which are based on learning and experience and what you think is possible. Gauge where you are by conceptualizing what your world holds within it.
How Do You Want to Live?
We all have dreams of the perfect life, of a way of being on a daily basis that seems to elude the average person. Often, the idea
