In 2020, the media has been "awful-ly" busy reporting the constant stream of negativity and sensationalizing to keep us attentive, uncertain and fearful. We aren't hearing too much about happiness or stability. It almost seems like it's a bit taboo or even pollyanna to be talking about the power of happiness now, when so much is going on. But I'm going to be bold and talk about it anyway. It is a topic worth talking about, because happiness is not only a stabilizing force, but actually the fastest route to finding solutions that work, and "not just for some, but for everyone." Thank you for those beautiful lyrics, Jackie DeShannon, in your song "What the World Needs Now is Love."
Most of us are in a hurry to fix what is happening in our world. We throw a lot of worry on the future and put the energy of our awareness on the problems. Yet, focusing on our problems, we seem to make them bigger and bigger. However, if we look at the large amounts of time and energy we put on thinking about them and then apply the adage, "what you focus on grows," it starts making more sense. Doesn't it? We often don't even notice "problems," as they might start out as minor annoyances, but the more we put our attention on them, the more they grow. This is Universal Law. Then, left unchecked, the problems seem to get so big that we have no idea what to do about them. To illustrate my point, let's take a small, and rather silly, example. How about a person who makes an off-handed remark about you...let's say, it's your nose. If, in a moment when you were feeling happy, someone (in a rather unconscious state) said to you, "you have a big nose," you might realize you never really put much thought into your nose being one way or the other, so you just laugh it off as a weird remark, and let it go. Or maybe you would even say, "thank you!" But if you are not feeling very happy and someone says that to you, you might start looking in the mirror more, or asking your family or friends if they think you have a big nose. Worse yet, you may even start seeing only "the big nose" whenever you look in the mirror. This is how it the insidious momentum gets started.
Happiness is such a big energy and keeps us in a very stable, resilient state. It helps us to brush off any aggravations, or little irritations that could otherwise have the potential to grow. Think about when you feel happy, don't you want others to feel happy too? Have you ever felt super happy and been around others who don't feel that way? Isn't it almost hard to believe how they could feel so unhappy when you feel so good? Happiness provides a new lens to see through, which can help us understand why others can't always meet us where we are. This might also be a good place to say that no matter how happy you are, you cannot make someone else happy. Neither though, are you responsible for another person's unhappiness. These are decisions made through the beliefs and perceptions of that person, not from your lack or surplus. What you should also know, is that sharing your happiness is the most loving thing a human can do for another: whether it has an impact or not, does not lessen the value of the action. All one can really ever do is either choose to share or choose not to share their happiness. We cannot direct or shape the results of that sharing. A good lesson in detachment for all of us.
Happiness is the portal of many things that people chase: wisdom, clarity, health or abundance. Often I see ads on the Internet for people who are trying to sell programs on how to improve your abundance and make scads of money, by just doing this or that. Here's the problem I have with these ads. One, if I know I have the knowledge and tools to tap into my own happiness, I quickly realize that being happy is not at all dependent on having scads of money. Also, many programs out there are talking about grit and passion, and they use those words when what they really mean is hard work, strategy, forcing, mercilessly pushing past your limits, maybe even at the risk of endangering relationship or financial health, cutting corners or cheating. This presents an incredible uphill climb--especially when one is feeling down and vulnerable, bad about themselves, or unhappy (which may very well be the exact time a person may be enticed into such a program). That is why I would make an educated guess that very few people actually reap the advertised rewards of such programs. (Check out the massive disclaimers!) This is when we think we want what money can buy us, which we perceive will make us happy, but we get balled up in trying to achieve that and be happy at the same time. It starts to feel very transactional..."when I do this, I'll get this." I'll be happy when I get there. In other words, happiness, second. Then it becomes the road to the mystical place called "there" which does not really even exist. My thoughts? Get happy FIRST. This is the ultimate path to healthy detachment, which insulates you from many of the unnecessary stings of life and puts you on the road to inspired thoughts and actions.
Getting happy first means that you are making restorative choices, not transactional ones. It is a very self-honoring choice. Even if you don't think this sounds very powerful, consider: the portal to abundance, wisdom, peace, love, clarity and intuition, IS happiness. So many of us chase these things through other methods, hard work, deep study, a yoga practice, or meditation practice. (Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking learning, evolving and inspired action.) But in depending solely on them, we often have a L O N G wait before we burn through the layers of mental/physical ama, (toxicity) in order to find the clarity, wisdom, self-love, peace and abundance we seek. Why be a seeker, when you can be a finder? Making important choices when you feel happy is a brilliant strategy. So what does "get happy first" really mean? It means you choose to be in the restorative flow of life, staying connected to gratitude, appreciation and the massive abundance you already have. This flow is designed to carry us beyond toiling and support our partnering joyfully with the Master creator. This is the fast-track to finding clarity, peace and a more positive vision for your life. You will find what you are looking for, or even better, maybe it will find you? When we focus on what feels good, what makes us happy, we grow that energy and open the portal. Life gets better as you begin to grow your happiness. If we are aware and fully present in those moments of happiness, fully engaged in that beautiful child-like energy, not only can we flow towards the amazing things we seek, we can actually have a really good time doing it.
If you resonate with this message, then please enjoy these closing questions. What can I do to make more powerful decisions and take more powerful actions? What can I do to have more inspired thoughts to guide my life? What can I do to feel safer and enjoy life more? What can I do to feel more at home in my body? What can I do to experience more clarity? What can I do to change the world? To each question, step one is very pleasantly the same. GET. HAPPY. FIRST.