Being happy is one of my favorite emotions. I love it when I'm filled with joy, peace and contentment. When all the troubles and challenges of life take a back seat and I drive shot gun with my happiness, I love being in that place.
Emotions move. They come and go. I've met a few people that say they are always happy. At first, I don't believe them. I question them. How could someone be good and happy all the time? But what if they've found what works for them? I've been learning that when we are faced with struggles, maybe some of us just appreciate the happy times so much that we refuse to put ourselves back in a place of pain or disappointment. We hang on tight to the feeling of being happy and won't let anyone or anything knock us off.
I am not there yet. I definitely have all the emotions, sometimes within a day but I'm learning how to release emotions that aren't serving me. When I start to feel anxious about life, I remember that I have a choice. I can feed that energy or I can release it. But the emotions of anger, anxiety, fear all come to me and it's because of my awareness to the feelings that I can navigate my next turn.
Let's honor the emotion of happiness. When do you feel happy? Who is around? What is happening? Think of something that makes you happy. Now notice your face. Your body language. Your eyes. Notice how easy and soft you get when you think of something that makes you happy.
Happiness is everywhere. Life can be full of happy moments even among the hardness. At some point, honesty has to come in. We have to be real with ourselves. If we want to be happy, are we doing anything to feed the opposite emotions? Be willing to look at yourself, your actions, your habits and point out the ones that lead you away from happiness. Then decide how important it is for you to be happy.
We all have choices everyday that we have to make. Ask yourself, am I doing anything in my life that takes away from my happiness? And if so, am I willing to change? Can I learn to release any emotion, thought, feeling that brings me down? Do I want to walk my path a little lighter and happier?
I don't want to be fake but I also don't want to hold myself back.
What makes you happy?
