True Happiness

Good afternoon and welcome back to this afternoon's blog. I thought I would begin today with a brief life update. Work has finished for the summer holidays and we are not due to return until September 4th (hopefully we're not back in lock down by then). I'm playing more golf (and better golf) during the sunnier weather and now I have more time on my hands, hopefully the handicap can decrease by a shot or 2. For those of you who will understand, currently my handicap is 11. The football season has nearly finished, but I am very much looking forward to August 1st when my beloved Arsenal face Chelsea in the Emirates FA Cup final (next Friday's blog will be a preview for that match). 

So now onto the topic of today's blog. Hopefully you read my blog 'Make Yourself Happy' on July 13th (if you didn't you know the drill by now). This is a follow up to that explaining what true happiness really is and how we can all achieve it everyday. We all deserve to be happy in life. It's too short to let days and weeks pass by where we are unhappy and feeling generally under the weather. When we have tough days it is important that we pick ourselves back up by finding what makes us truly happy. And I don't mean feeling elated because Arsenal are in the FA Cup final (though I am of course). I mean what makes us truly happy from the inside.

When we take a minute to look at what is around us, we can see that the desire to be happy is the common denominator that connects us all. We must not fall into the trap of confusing happiness with a brief, passing moment of joy. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "happy" means feeling or showing pleasure on contentment. We should eliminate the word pleasure from that definition because it can never bring long-lasting relief and can often bring suffering in its wake. While the word contentment brings some elements of happiness, it can also be used as a sense of ease and temporary control over our emotions. 

I believe that there are 2 ways that we can approach our goal of being truly happy. On an ordinary level, we can train our minds to be happy by using happy thoughts, words, emotions and actions. The more we cultivate these positive energies, the more we can become a vibrant source of happiness for both ourselves and those around us. We must allow ourselves to be that candle in the dark alley. Let yourself light the path for others to follow in your footsteps. Make yourself happy first, for you are the most important to you. There is only one you.

On a more profound level, when we are in touch with our true nature, happiness and joy will come naturally. We don't have to use valuable time or effort to search for it. Other, less positive, emotions might arise such as anger, worry or hatred. However, these are only temporary and will not stick if we become accustomed to simply resting in the clear and open space of our original mind. Allow your mind time to reset itself to the more natural feelings of happiness. Our mind wants us to be happy, but sometimes our mind and body have to work together so this is allowed to happen.

So many people everyday try to find the path to true happiness. Honestly it is a very straight forward one. We have to eliminate the negative thoughts, actions and words which cause ourselves to suffer as well as people around us. We need to adopt a positive outlook on life so we have more thoughts and emotions that can help to guide us down the right path. We need that reconnection with our true nature. This can be achieved through simple meditation or mindfulness. Calm your body so your mind can be at rest.

A straight forward path, however, does not mean an easy path. We have a lifetime of bad habits and negative energy to fight against. There's the hyperactive mind that needs to be pacified. True happiness requires us to be disciplined and to show real effort and willingness. But nourished by happiness, this can become joyful and relaxing. It becomes a self-seeding cycle of ever-growing calmness, clarity and insight. Marcus Aurelius once said "Dig within. Within is the wellspring of good; and it is always ready to bubble up, if you just dig." Marcus wants us to realise that it isn't an easy road, but if we keep trying and keep believing in ourselves, then it really is achievable.

Ultimately, if we all try and follow this advice, we can become free from our sufferings. There are 2 paths in life; one leads to true happiness and the other leads to pain and suffering. Start engaging yourself towards that positive route. Leave the negative pain and suffering in the past. 

Enjoy life and be happy.

Connor
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