Spirituality is a huge part of who I am. I’m not here to get into the logistics of religion or even the importance it serves in society — so don’t worry. However, being able to find inner peace is vital to productive existence. Holding a set of morals and valuing coexistence in humanity is a fundamental necessity of your own existence. You must, must, must be weary of who you are, what you’re worth, and how to be the best, most positive person you can be without infringing upon the happiness of another.
It’s a lot harder than it seems, though. I’ve met many people who lacked the life experience and mindset to delve deep enough introspectively to actually get to know themselves. Of course, the easiest (or hardest?) way to get to know the real you, is through negative experience. People who have overcome disastrous situations in their lives tend to be me self-aware. This is because they’ve learned to pick themselves up from a place no one but themselves could.
Do you know who you are at rock bottom?
Do you know who you are completely self-actualized?
Chances are, you don’t. And that’s okay. There’s still time.
Happiness is one of those things that’s often overlooked and brushed to the bottom of the to-do list. In all reality, happiness is the most imperative aspect of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. In a documentary I watched on Netflix entitled Happy, director Roko Belic travels to over a dozen countries searching for the true meaning of happiness. He finds that people who coexist and share a sense of community are happiest. Being able to contribute to something bigger than just your immediate circle gives one a grand feeling of both pride and security.
The film also shared statistics- one of which stated that people who steadily give random acts of kindness are immensely happier than people who don’t. Karma must be a legitimate thing. People who breed positivity will attract it. I know, I know, it sounds very cliche-melodramatic-1960s-hippie of me to say, but it’s true. There is truly good and bad to every situation - yin and yang if you will. Acknowledge the good, learn from the bad- and before you know it your whole outlook on life will become more positive.
Another trick to being happy is to get out of your own damn way. During my freshman year of college, I met one of my best friends, Mel- a Fine Arts major at New Hampshire Institute of Art. I love Mel for every reason imaginable, but when she told me she enjoyed making art while listening to philosophers on YouTube, I knew we were destined to be life long friends. She showed me Alan Watts’ lecture where he speaks on how we as humans are natural roadblocks to ourselves.
Watts says that we think we know too much. But the truth is we don’t know what’s best for others, and others don’t know what’s best for you. Only you know what’s best for you. And this conceit in us as individuals is what divides us as a whole. You can never truly know what someone else needs because you have and will never be that someone- which makes a lot of sense if you ask me. This adds legitimacy to intuition- go with your gut next time, okay?
Humans lack focus. There're a billion different things you could be doing in a given moment, but it’s important to focus on now. There is no past, just memories. What has happened is not real anymore so stop perseverating. There is no future, just prediction. What you think is going to happen won’t necessarily happen, so stop perseverating. Focus on the situation at hand wholly and life won’t seem so difficult. Think of nothing but right this second…see.
The final simple step to happiness is manifesting your own destiny. What do you want out of life? Is there anything that if you don’t achieve you’ll regret on your deathbed? You have immeasurable power. You can truly do anything, so again, get out of your own way. Believe in who you are and who you’re going to be and it will be actualized. If you want something badly enough, every decision you make will be subconsciously parallel to that very goal. Don’t doubt it. Don’t doubt yourself.
You are as happy as you want to be. You are in complete control of your reactions to every emotion you have. Physiologically, it’s detrimental to suppress emotions, as they are energy… So feel. Acknowledge the emotions at hand and handle healthily. Find the good in the bad in everyday. You make a conscious decision each morning when you wake up to either be a happy person or a negative person. Choose happiness everyday.
