The first rule of negotiation is to always be willing to walk away from the deal. The first rule of happiness is to not be attached to pleasing moments. So how do we get into sealing the deal of happiness?
We experience happiness as a series of pleasing moments. They come and go like clouds, unpredictable, fleeting, and without responsibility to our desires. Through honest self-work, reflection, and meditation, we begin to string more of these moments together, creating a web-like design of happiness that drapes around our lives. A happiness web makes a nice decorative shawl, but a blanket would be better.
To construct a blanket of happiness that warms the entire world, every single person on this planet would have to be at peace, have comfort, safety and love. That isn't how our world is. We are all connected. The pain and suffering of others is yours also, on some level whether you choose to pay attention or not. The reason we can't achieve total bliss is because you're not here solo. We have a taste in these moments and it's meant to fuel our will to spread it to others. When we accept the responsibility of others, while staying true to ourselves, we begin to fill with love, compassion, and we are able to take on a bit of the suffering of others without spreading ourselves thin. We are here on this planet to add to the happiness of the world.
What we put into the world we get back for ourselves. If you dump your drama into the world you will get the same back. If you take each moment as an opportunity to further your awareness and the happiness of others, what you get back is limitless. When we develop an awareness of the suffering of others and decide that it's unacceptable to us, we can then decide on a course of action. Once we take action, whether that means being nicer to your friends, co-workers, giving your time, money, energy, or talents to others, then we begin to taste more happiness and do our part in constructing the world happiness blanket.
5 Steps to Achieving Happiness
1. Search for dissatisfaction. What goes up must come down. There's beauty in honest sadness. Practice on clearing your psychology so you can observe without your own judgment. Look inward and around. Inhale the emotions of the world. Exhale let it go. Repeat until something happens inside you.
2. Cultivate your unique self. There is only one YOU in this planet. Work on yourself. Face your issues, your fears, and insecurities. Beauty is on the other side. Go with it.
3. Give freely. If you hold on too tightly your whole life will shrink. Your body and your mind are the same. Your body is not a superficial object. Hiding in intellect or misaligned internalized spirituality is a trap. Don't throw your body under the bus of your mind and ego. You only have one body. You will live in it until you die. Take care of it so you can be of use to yourself and the world. When you hold on to your possessions, your ideas, and emotions all the magic will pass you by. When you are of use in the world you will be completely fulfilled. Every moment becomes magical. If your body was a car, your intention is driving, the soul is navigating, and your efforts are the fuel.
4. Learn to receive. Giving and receiving are the same when we remove the ego. Accept a compliment, a gift, and a smile and your life will expand like the sky.
5. Let go of the outcome. Attached to wanting happiness? Let it go. As soon as you let go of desire to have it, it will find you. Simple but complicated. The work is why we're here.
Handstands build strength, confidence, endurance, energy, and courage. Here are some easy tips to work toward overcoming fears and moving your body in ways to get out of your head. Focus on your breath instead of your thoughts and your intuition will surprise you. The physicality of yoga brings you back into your body instead of your head. Focusing on the breath clears the mind so you can see what the heck is going on outside of the world of your worries, needs, and desires. When we put the two together, we realize we are all connected. Through practice we regain the desire to blanket each other in happiness.