Opening Your Life to the Power of Happiness

If you could choose one state of being for yourself that would make the greatest contribution to your wellbeing, what would it be? Think about it for a moment. Let your imagination run free. Visualise yourself feeling wonderful and then ask yourself how your life would have to be in order for you to experience this extraordinary state of bliss on a daily basis.

This is a well-recognised method that people use to determine their goals in life. They imagine themselves enjoying some fabulous achievement or success and then use that emotionally-charged vision to become the focal point for their efforts. But, did you spot the problem with this scenario?

Happiness is not something that turns up ready-made. It comes from your own actions.

-?????? Dalai Lama

It’s a fundamental part of our social and cultural conditioning but we generally associate happiness with whatever’s happening around us. It seems to be deeply connected to our external environment. We’re taught from a very early age that contentment flows primarily from the circumstances that surround us. No wonder that happiness appears to be such a rare and elusive commodity! And why is this relevant?

Because the harsh fact is that most people are not happy.

This obvious lack of personal peace and inner calm is a major contributor to the growing levels of stress, depression and unhappiness in our society. No wonder there are so many prescriptions for anxiety. People have learned to use material objects as a substitute for contentment. We grow accustomed to fleeting, pale imitations of happiness and distract ourselves for hours at a time with our shallow immersion in social media. We postpone happiness for some future time and place when circumstances might be better. But it isn’t something we embrace in the here and now. And life rushes by in a constant stream of challenges, setbacks, disappointments, loneliness and unhappiness. I know. It’s a fairly grim picture but just take a look around you right now and take a careful note of people’s faces. Look at their posture. Is anybody radiating happiness? Exactly. Something is clearly missing so, It seems that this could be the perfect moment for us to consider a fundamental change or two.

Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for others and then for ourselves.

-?????? Helen Keller

We all know that it’s very important to have goals and a clear sense of direction for our lives. It’s both deeply empowering and ultimately very satisfying to set out to achieve something worthwhile – and then deliver on its potential. But that doesn’t mean that we should postpone our capacity to savour life’s rich potential for happiness today.

When we make a clear commitment every single morning to embrace the day’s opportunities with joy in our hearts, when we express gratitude for all the great things that fill our lives, when we adopt a feeling of inner calm and happiness as our daily default position – that’s when we begin to flourish.

Happiness resides not in possessions and not in gold; the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul.

-?????? Democritus

Happiness is far too important to be connected exclusively to external events and circumstances. We can’t control the weather - so how crazy is it to link our emotional state to the vagaries of local climatic conditions? Is your happiness really linked to whether or not it rains today? We can’t wave a magic wand and make the traffic disappear when we’re on the road. But why let the congestion override our capacity to feel centred, calm, alert and happy? There will always be rude and difficult people. You’re bound to meet them during the course of a normal life. But why surrender your inner peace of mind to the inadequacies of unhappy people? Why should their behaviour impact on your ability to function calmly and with joy in your heart? Whilst it isn’t common within our culture, we need to retain the keys to our happiness by ensuring that they do not reside in the hands of another. Someone you love may walk off at any moment and leave you feeling desolated and utterly miserable. Holding the power of our happiness in our own hands enables us to enjoy the richness of our relationships without becoming enslaved to the whims of another human being.

Cultivating a state of inner peace, calm and happiness is a powerful way to become resistant to life’s daily round of stresses and anxieties. It’s a fabulous source of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. It’s incredibly liberating. You really can learn to develop a sense of profound control over your emotional and psychological reactions. You can learn to open your heart to an abiding sense of inner happiness that frees you from the disturbances that often conspire to tilt you off-balance.

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts; therefore, guard accordingly and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.

-?????? Marcus Aurelius

In conclusion, happiness is such an incredibly important and positive state of being that it deserves to enjoy a prominent place in our lives. Not as a temporary and fleeting reward for some achievement, but as a way of appreciating the gift of this life on every level of our consciousness. It’s a state of being that can transcend the limitations of our circumstances and help us to appreciate the wonders of every moment.

This has been the subtle message from mystics and philosophers for thousands of years. It’s time to recognise the importance of happiness in our lives and create space within our hearts to allow it to flourish.

Are you ready right now for a completely fresh approach to life’s great adventure? Get in touch with us today for a free session to discover how the growing global movement for personal growth, success, change and empowerment can enhance your life!

Greg Parry created the Cognitive Empowerment Programs specifically to help people master their stress, overcome their limitations and explore the power of their true potential.

If you enjoy these blogs, you can imagine how much fun it is to have Greg in the room as an inspirational and highly perceptive speaker. If you’d like to invite Greg to talk to your company or organisation or event, feel free to get in touch.

You can contact Greg and his Team at:

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