The pursuit of happiness

The pursuit of happiness is the most deceptive trajectory we have ever been oriented towards. Because happiness is not a point of arrival but a starting point, and therefore it should not be sought; instead, it should simply be chosen. More than this, for an evolved human being, the purpose of life shifts from happiness to balance, because happiness, understood as a fullness of sensation, is simply a direct consequence of inner balance.

In the above statement you find the synthesis of the understanding that has allowed me to completely transform the quality of my life.

For years I believed it was right to move towards things, situations and choices that had the potential and characteristics to make me happy, but time after time I found that the achievement of the goal itself dimmed the happiness I was attaching to it. Like when you buy something you've always dreamed of, but when you get used to having it you no longer feel the same intensity of emotion that you felt in wanting it. At that point I began to perceive the illusiveness of this mechanism, which generated temporary satisfaction and at the same time created a new need every time I arrived where I thought my happiness lay.

And then I understood: happiness is not in what you pursue or seek. It's in you, and it's you who infuses it wherever you move. You don't need to look for it; you just have to live it, to express it. If you want a happy life, you must first be happy. Only in this way can you experience it. At this point of understanding, happiness becomes your choice wherever you have alternatives.

"Do you want to be right or happy?" is a quote from the great Wayne Dyer. And he’s right. If being right is more important to you than being happy, you are choosing to fight others to affirm yourself and, most likely, the price you will pay will be a more or less profound form of unhappiness. Or you can accept that everyone is right because everyone sees life from their unique perspective; you are not compelled to have the same viewpoint, but nor do you have to impose your own on them. If you choose to be happy you will soon realise how many things and people do not deserve your attention and energy, and you will naturally become more tolerant, but also more selective, because your happiness is precious fuel to trigger virtuous circles of fulfilment, serenity, satisfaction and completeness. Consequently, you will not waste it anymore.

The more you practice this habit of happiness, the more you will realise this state is independent of the very nature of the things that enter or happen in your life. You will learn to be happy regardless of… Sure, you still have preferences, and failure to fulfil certain preferences or expectations may upset you, but it doesn't change your emotional state. Here you slowly realise that you are more and more in balance in yourself and with yourself. The only focus you need to keep is on you.

There is no longer any point worrying about keeping control over dozens of things that can go wrong; instead, all you require is the ability to be happy when things do go wrong.

This is the real secret of happiness. There is nothing to seek or find. It has always been within you, you just had to look in the right place. The system has created hundreds of dazzling and tempting distractions to stop you from achieving this. But the mechanism is always the same: shift your attention away from you, neutralise the immense power that you are and when you understand it you won't fall for it anymore.

You are your happiness, your wealth and your abundance. You are everything you have been looking for. Embrace yourself and celebrate the profound, immeasurable joy of this recognition.

(pic credits Denise Jones - Unsplash)