Frustrated With Life?? ... What is Happiness and How Can We Learn To Cultivate It?
What is Happiness?
This elusive concept seems to be rather poorly defined for how much effort we tend to exert trying to attain it.
I will give you my definition of happiness.
Happiness is what arises when suffering is not present. It is the state of being that we are born into. It is the state of being that exists when we are not consciously suffering. It is the state of being that we are meant to be in.
If being happy is what we are meant to experience, why are so many of us struggling with it?
There are many reasons for this, but to put it simply, we haven’t had enough practice.
Happiness is something that arises when we allow it.
When we strive for it remains elusive, impossible to grasp. Interesting, huh? Let me tell you why it is this way.
When we are content with life and therefore no longer struggling happiness arises on it’s own. If we are trying to “be happy”, by definition we can not be happy.
I will say this again. If we are trying to be happy we CAN NOT be happy!
Why?? Because the act of trying is what keeps us from being happy.
So, if we can’t “become” happy, how are you going to teach us to be happy??
Learning To Cultivate Happiness
The way that I have discovered to experience more happiness isn’t to try harder (as we’ve seen that does not work), but rather to focus our energy on removing the things that are keeping happiness from arising on it’s own.
Some examples of things in this category:
- Environmental stress
- Limiting beliefs
- Unhealthy behavioral patterns
- Negative relationships
As we rid ourselves of these damaging articles of our life, the light of happiness will begin to shine through the clouds of our psyche more and more often.
Over time, we will find that happiness is a state that we can exist in for longer and longer periods. As we continue to let go of the struggle for achievement we will be rewarded with more and more joy.
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You Can Do It
Try out this practice on your own. Meditation is a great way to rid ourselves of limiting beliefs and negative behavioral patterns. If you feel something is holding you back, make a conscious effort to behave in a manner that contradicts that belief. If you feel you can’t do it on your own, reach out to a friend or hire a professional to help you. The path may take time but you will be guided each step of the way. As you continue to practice you will find your life begins to blossom and overflow with happiness, love and joy.
Check Out Some Of My Other Posts Here
Neuro-Linguistic Programming... What is it and how can it help me improve my life
On Death and Dying... What to Do When It Is Not Happening to Us
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Haha nice stats :)
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WHERE EVER YOU GO...
Joshua 1:9
"As we continue to let go of the struggle for achievement we will be rewarded with more and more joy"... I think the message is summarized in this great sentence, which if we see, it might sound contradictory because we are accustomed to "look" for happiness and if we do not put so much effort into this search maybe we would get it around the corner or simply arrive naturally.
If I may quote you @metama, you said:
"Happiness is what arises when suffering is not present. It is the state of being that we are born into. It is the state of being that exists when we are not consciously suffering. It is the state of being that we are meant to be in."
Although I salute the depth of your thought to have reached this conclusion, and I also acknowledge that you experience might have a role to play in this submission, however, I doubt if majority of us will agree with you across board.
First, it is evident almost all of us were born into pain. The process of giving birth naturally illicit so much pain that we all cry into this world, though unconscious.
Secondly, it is doubtful if happiness arises at the absence of suffering. A man that is not suffering any lack or health issue may still be unhappy - unhappy about the state of the people around him for example.
Rather, I will say happiness is a state of the mind when it is experiencing some form of pleasure or the other. Note that I didn't say happiness is pleasure itself, I said it is the state of the mind. Pleasure is an experience that you so much enjoy you wish it continues and increases. It is when you are experiencing such pleasure that you feel happiness in your innermost heart. So, pleasure is inextricably linked to pleasure but they are not the same.
I love your write up and a number of issues you touch here shall be my reflective mood topic.
Thank you.
Thank you for sharing your opinion. I wanted to add my thoughts...
"Secondly, it is doubtful if happiness arises at the absence of suffering. A man that is not suffering any lack or health issue may still be unhappy - unhappy about the state of the people around him for example."
I would say that being unhappy about the state of people around oneself is suffering. We have the choice to respond to our surroundings however we like, if we are unhappy about something it is our choice to do so.
this is another great way of seeing and dealing with the topic @ojebaba. great response mate !
Love the blog. Great job. I have written one along the same lines about freedom. I will be posting it later today or tomorrow morning . I hope you will check it out. I am definitely following you. Upvoted as well.
Thanks @big.ock
I will check it out
A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty,boss am always with you sir @matama
love it @emmanueltare
Hello, good post, for me happiness is not an end, I am happy when I am not too unhappy, I see so much suffering that I do not care to be happy I consider it something selfish, I believe that true happiness is collective, for example, " evolve as a species "(human), if there is happiness it is out there, perhaps waiting for us.
Greetings to all the friends of steemit.
a great post you got here:)
they way I've been dealing with happiness is quite similar to what you're serving here. it has some of its differences tho but yea they look alike haha
the similarities can be found in the way that you tend to shy away from trying to be happy. I totally agree with this.
the differences: i tend to view happiness as a phase in life. just like sadness, or confusion, uncertainty or certainty, pleasure, pain, etc.
we h00mans are a being that can never be satisfied. we are consumers. consuming everything we can. we simply can not stop consuming (not only physical things). and I think no matter how much we try to extinguish the state of unhappiness, another one will rise and keep on lining up.
it works the same with any other feeling like those I said earlier.
so yeah, I just viewed them as a phase or a process of life.
it's more like a way of letting go of the steer regarding feelings and emotions and just completely engulf yourself in it. living in it.
but srsly, i really found that your method is quite interesting and might as well live my life for a couple of months with it haha.
cheers mate :)