The Unnecessary Pursuit of Happiness

In the grand tapestry of life, we find ourselves caught in a relentless loop – a loop of learning, working, and earning to sustain a lifestyle molded by societal expectations.?

From the early years in school to the corridors of universities, we dedicate an extensive amount of time to acquire knowledge and skills deemed essential for survival in the professional realm.?

And all this is based on the mantra that if we work harder we can acquire more things, which will make us happier and then one day we can stop work and retire which will give us more ‘free’ time that will allow us to do what makes us happy, before we eventually die.

The Commute Conundrum

During this process of constant education and work, we also spend a significant chunk of our daily lives traversing between our homes and workplaces.?

And this costs us our time and money just to partake in the orchestrated dance of societal expectations.?

It's a cycle: we work to earn, and we earn to facilitate the very act of working.?

This cyclic existence, fueled by commercial and marketing expectations, prompts us to spend more, relentlessly chasing external gratification, believing it to be the gateway to happiness.

The Illusion of External Gratification

It is a narrative that basically states that the more we acquire, the happier we should be.

There’s even a name for it - ‘retail therapy’ - a form of ‘spending escapism’, which seems to be based on the misplaced logic that ‘shopping’ - spending more money to acquire more things - has a therapeutic effect that combats the ongoing stresses associated with work and life in general.?

Yet this just perpetuates the ‘hedonic treadmill’ because we believe that as we accumulate more,our happiness will increase, so we end up perpetually striving for an elusive state of achievable contentment.

The Inner Mindset Shift: A Path to True Happiness

Amidst this whirlwind of external pursuits, we often overlook the importance of cultivating our inner world.?

What if true happiness wasn't in the next paycheck, the next promotion, or the next possession, but rather within ourselves??

What if, by dedicating a fraction of the time spent on the external, we could unlock a reservoir of contentment from within?

I mean, just think about the following for a moment:

We spend decades of our lives learning how to pass exams and qualifications to get a job so that we can learn more on the job so that? we can spend the majority of our lives working.

We spend hours in the gym and thousands of pounds a year on supplements and diets and other healthcare fads in the hope of making us fitter and healthier - primarily to combat the stresses created in the way we live our daily lives.

We spend money on Amazon Prime, Netflix, Sky and Disney channel subscriptions so that when we come home we can ‘switch off’ by distracting ourselves by focussing on another external stimuli - a film or mini-series that people ‘binge-watch’, which is similar to other forms of addictions.

And all the while our minds are never still, always thinking about what’s coming or what to do next or mulling over something that has happened in the past, just like an untrained puppy that is constantly pulling on its leash with no sense of direction and discipline.?

What if we decided to look inwards for a change??

What if we simply swapped the need for external stimulation for an inward journey into our own minds.

What if instead of letting our minds wander back into the past or into the future we just learned to become aware of the present moment while intentionally paying attention to our thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment.?

The Power of Meditation

This is where meditation comes in.

Now before I go any further, let's get rid of the image in your head of Buddhists or ‘hippy-like’ people sitting cross legged on the floor chanting mantras and eating lentils.

What if we simply considered ‘meditation’ an alternative to ‘medication’??

Meditation is simply an age-old technique that allows us to tap into our inner selves.?

It allows us to train our minds, in the same way that we would train a puppy.?

Through focused breathing, daily acts of mindfulness and focussed meditation we can train ourselves to detach from the external noise, find clarity, and foster a sense of peace.?

And there are major health benefits too.?

Studies have shown that regular meditation reduces stress, improves mental well-being, and enhances overall life satisfaction.

Mindfulness and meditation helps reduce anxiety, improves focus and concentration, which in turn generates more creativity.

The fact is meditation:

• Improves emotional well-being,
• Can help with pain management,
• Lowers blood pressure,
• Increases the effectiveness of our immune system (so we are better able to fight off illness and disease),
• Increases mental resilience and;
• Neuroscientific studies indicate that mindfulness meditation can lead to structural and functional changes in the brain, particularly in areas associated with attention, memory, and emotional regulation,
• It has been shown to be a helpful adjunctive approach in the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction.?

Breathing: The Natural Gateway to Happiness

At its core, meditation revolves around a fundamental and natural human act – breathing.?

By dedicating time to connect with our breath, we embark on a journey within, discovering that happiness is not contingent upon external circumstances but is an internal job.?

And best of all, it’s free and you can’t fail at it!?

It’s efficient, and has a profound impact on our mental and emotional well-being.

Embracing the Inevitable: A Fearless Approach to Life and Death

And one day you are going to die and there's no way of getting out of that one.

As we navigate the complexities of our daily life, the fear of the unknown, especially death, often lurks in the shadows.

And this is again where mindfulness an meditation can help. ?

By developing an inner mindset, we also become better equipped to face our ultimate destination with acceptance rather than fear.?

The realization that life is transient becomes an invitation to savor each moment, embracing the beauty of existence.

While societal expectations push us toward the external, allocating some of that time to nurture our inner selves through practices like meditation can be transformative.?

It's a shift from the external to the internal, from a pursuit of fleeting gratifications to a discovery of enduring happiness within ourselves.?

After all, in the grand journey of life, happiness is not a destination but a way of traveling.

Having has a heart attack myself I have come close to death.

And through my meditation practice I have come to terms with it and understand it better.

It is now not something I fear.

It has also allowed me to help others too who have lost loved ones or who are also facing the inevitable.

This insight is priceless and something we should all learn more about.

It's definitely worth the investment.

What To Do Next…..?

If you’d like to attend a two-day event to help you get started or to boost your inner mind training then check out this two-day course here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/quantum-thinking-meditation-mindfulness-and-nlp-workshop-tickets-749800632877?aff=oddtdtcreator?

Oh, and if you think that you don’t have the time to attend you really need to attend!?

Have a great day and a great life and remember- happiness is an internal job!

Mark Dawes

PS: And if you think you need years and years to learn this you are wrong. Even companies like Google have invested in mindfulness meditation training because they can see the tangible benefits in doing so. So why don't you?

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