"The secret to happiness is not in the destination, but in the journey." Though this is a simple and recognizable phrase with a powerful message, it confines one of the hardest meanings to ever be practiced in life. We've been conditioned from an early age to do the exact opposite, to focus 100 percent on the goals and ending results, instead of paying attention to the journey on how we get there. Thus it's no surprise that people spend a great part of their lives looking for that fountain of peace and joy in all the wrong places. Nevertheless, I can assure you through my own experiences, that you don't have to achieve your goals or challenges in order to be happy. You can choose to be happy at any moment and any time, even right now, and feel once again all those wonderful sensations that this emotion brings to your soul. But just like learning how to be happy, you must be careful since this journey has two ways and you may easily feel the exact opposite, unhappiness.
Let me give you an example. Notice how meditating the very meaning of these words or remembering either positive or negative experiences in your life, can instantly make you feel the sensation of happiness or unhappiness. As you can see by doing this exercise, it doesn't matter the things you have in life, how big your house may be, the car you have, the clothes you wear or even having your ideal family; what matter is the state in which your mind is set and where you want to focus all your thoughts in order to change you mood.
In my case, through time and experiencing difficult life challenges, I understood that in the end there is nothing and no one who can make me happy other than me. Though it's hard to admit, no matter how much people may want to help, not even our parents, children, brothers, lovers or friends, no one can change our attitude and emotions for us. They can give you their love and stand by your side during difficult times, but they won't be able to make you feel better or worse, not without your hearts internal consent first. How many times have you wished to have the gift of being able to make a difference in someone's life? Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to bring joy to those who need it? But nevertheless, life is a mystery and even though we may not have the power to make other people happy, we do have it when it comes to oneself. Nobody other than you can make that difficult transformation of going from feeling unhappy to being happy. You can't just go out looking for happiness, or buy it, or borrow it out of nowhere, because you will never find it anywhere outside yourself. You will only be able to feel it's magic, it's light and it's energy when that happiness is the result of the attitude you have towards life, towards the purpose to which you do things, and the way you carry yourself every day.
Happiness is the result of all of your impressions, your experiences, and your actions from the moment you wake up, to the moment you go to sleep. Happiness is a boomerang effect of your lifestyle, where your thoughts, your energy and your actions are all synchronized and act as one. This wonderful sensation that gives your life meaning and abundance, comes and goes along the days and the years, just like the waves of the ocean. Sometimes we feel happy for long periods of time; other times it can simply be for an instant. The only way I know how to keep it alive for the longest time is by recognizing that life is a gift and we must be thankful and enjoy it with all of our senses to the fullest. Happiness doesn't know time, agendas, nor goals. To you, a human being, happiness is something very personal and when you connect with your essence, your wishes and your purpose in life, you will only then feel the light shine through you and fill you with that beautiful sensation of euphoria, saturation and joy that intoxicates you with love and gives life a new meaning.
To find your connection with happiness once again, my recommendation is to first take time to find out your reasons and motivations to become happy. Everyone has different reasons and when you find out which ones are yours, the result is a miracle if you have the courage to walk your path. You have to be faithful to those reasons and not to others. Second, and this is the hardest part to overcome, is to conquer the three main enemies of happiness: ego, negative thoughts and fears.
1. The first enemy of happiness is the famous "EGO," that makes you believe that the more things you have, the more money, more clothes and more recognition from others, the better you will feel.
2. The second great enemy of happiness are your own negative thoughts and guilt that limit you to believe in your potential, making you feel just the opposite, unhappy.
3. And the third great enemy is your fears and insecurities that paralyze you in life and convince you through a thousand excuses why you cannot achieve your dreams.
To conquer these enemies, you must choose to face them no matter what. Unfortunately, facing the truth can be hard and difficult. In order to expose or unmask ego, fear, excuses and negative thoughts on life, you will need valor, strength, discipline and determination. Never lose sight of your motives to be happy, for those are the reasons that give meaning and purpose to your life. Once you choose the first step to beat the shadows within your mind, you start to feel an inner strength that motivates you to keep moving forward, conquering new challenges and discovering your real potential. That is how it will be, step by step, and day by day, choosing to make the best decisions, taking responsibility for your actions, raising your consciousness, and taking control of your destiny is how you begin to feel, barely noticing it, that something wonderful has taken hold of your life again, Happiness.
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Periscope: Martin Llorens