Don't Worry, Be Happy
Don't worry. Be happy.
Do you worry? Are you happy?
Worry and true happiness can't co-exist at the same time in the same space.
Many people claim that they are happy. They have a wonderful spouse, beautiful children, successful jobs - everything that they came into the world believing would make them happy, yet if most are honest with themselves, they would admit that a certain unhappiness and uneasiness dominates a great part of their life.
In order for us to become something different in this life, we need to be completely honest with ourselves - forget the darn pretense and be as bloody honest as we can. As we are, we are not truly happy. There is a constant angst that goes with us into our days. Are you able to admit that?
This isn't a "downer" post. It is a truthful post, because you see, if we can't be honest with ourselves, there is no hope for any change in our being. We have created such an ego, such a persona of ourselves and because we are identified with that persona, there is great difficulty in admitting the unhappiness that dominates our life.
True happiness is our natural state of being when we live in the present moment and not from thought (imagination). Happiness can't be described. It is a state of being where there is no self there to claim it.
What is actually taking place when we believe we are worrying about something?
Here's the process: Thought brings up something in the mind, some dialogue. When we aren't present to that movement of thought, there is an automatic unconscious identification with it.
An example -
Here's a thought that is brought up on the screen of the mind: "Oh my God, my daughter has her driver's license - I can't bear the idea that she will be on the road with all those crazy drivers. I will never sleep again."
When that thought of worry is unconsciously identified with (agreed to), it is fueled by the energy that was given to it via our attention.
The result?
It will be brought up yet once again on the screen of our mind and if we aren't present to observe and drop it then, it will keep reincarnating itself again and again.
Worry. Worry. Worry.
There's no end to that vicious cycle until we agree to start participating in our lives in the right way by feeding our true self instead of the false part of ourselves.
So, is it possible to be happy and not worry?
The more we allow our attention to go to where thought wants it to go, the more unhappy and anxious we become. Why? Because we keep unconsciously creating images (and that's all they are) that stand in the way of our true nature of happiness.
Are you willing to be completely honest with yourself? Are you willing to sacrifice the sensation of worrying for being present?
Take one hour some time this week- set a timer. See if you can see how often you live your life in imagination, in thought. That will tell you exactly why there is so much unhappiness and angst in your life.
Isn't that a good thing?
It's good because then we know where to work. We know that a thought-based life is an unhappy life, is a painful life. So, we need to live from a "new place" inside ourselves...
Where?
In the present moment - as often as possible.
When you realize you are once again caught up in thought, in imagination, just come back to the present moment and feel the beauty in it.
That's all you need to do, over and over again. Truly.
Image courtesy of: https://unsplash.com/photos/4K2lIP0zc_k
