Regardless of what you achieve, how much stuff you accumulate, or how well people regard you, you will never obtain happiness in this life.

Sound pessimistic?  Quite the contrary…..this may be the most optimistic thing you’ve read in quite a while.

You see, to obtain happiness implies that it is something that exists outside of our self.  The reality is that happiness already exists within us and is very much part of our natural state of being.  In fact, the only place happiness can be found is inside of ourselves.  This happiness can be discovered, uncovered, or exposed, but it cannot be obtained because it’s impossible to obtain that which you already have.  To see the world in this way is transformational.  Let’s take a closer look….shall we?

Here are 5 Keys to Discovering our Natural State of Happiness

1.  You Don’t need a Reason to be Happy

In his book “The Power of Intention” Wayne Dyer makes a wonderful point about babies.  He states that despite the fact that they are bald, chubby, and toothless they continue to be in a natural state of happiness.  They crawl around, eat everything they get their hands on, poop in their pants, and just laugh and smile.  Their only concern is growing, expanding, and being blissful.  What can we learn from them?

We do not need a reason to be happy!

Happiness is our natural state.  Each of us is born with this great treasure, and when we are new to the world its luster consumes our attention.  However, as we become accustomed to living in the world, we cover our treasure with layer upon layer of silt and sediment until it becomes buried beneath the surface of our being.  And sadly enough, most of us forget we ever had it.  Take a moment to observe a baby.  Watch as the radiance of their treasure shines and remember that you were once also in that natural state of being, without the need of any reason to be happy.

2.  Nothing You Achieve can ever Make You Happy

The irony of our lives is that it’s just as we pat down the final layer of earth that conceals our treasure that we begin a life of treasure hunting.  Many people spend their entire lives seeking that which they already have.  Happiness cannot be found in things.  We know this intellectually, but take a moment to reflect on just how often, even on a subconscious level, we expect to acquire some degree of happiness from a source outside of ourselves.  The same is true of our achievements or the accolades we receive from others.  How many times have you thought you’ve finally unearthed your buried treasure only to discover a hollow chest void of any real value?

I often look for a pen or pencil for minutes only to discover that it’s behind my ear.  I always get a good chuckle when I realize what I’ve done.  I could not see it because wherever I turned my head, it turned with me and remained just out of sight.  The same is true with our treasure of happiness.  It will always remain out of sight so long as we seek it outside of ourselves.  If I had only taken a moment to pause and reflect on the situation I would have felt the pen behind my ear and my insane quest would have ended.  Let’s pause and reflect on the inanity of our lives.  Are we on a quest destined for disappointment?

3.  Your Failures cannot Make Your Unhappy

The great news is that if we cannot find happiness outside of ourselves, then the inverse must also be true:  Unhappiness cannot originate from outside of ourselves either.

This one perspective alone is liberating.  If we fail financially, if we lose the respect important people, if a project falls apart, if someone we depend on lets us down…..these things do not obligate us to be unhappy.  In fact, they are completely powerless to do so.  These are only layers of silt.  We need to keep our broom handy and constantly sweep these happiness distracters off of our shining treasure.

4.  Problems are an Illusion

What is a problem?  The common answer is that it is something that goes wrong in our lives.  The reality is that a problem is nothing more than a thought.  Where do thoughts exist?  Who creates thoughts?

They only exist in our brain and we are the one that create them.

So the question is:  Why make it into a problem?  Does defining it as so help anything?

The problem with problems is that we build identities around them and they influence the way we see the world.  We when we create problems we become victims.  This means we are no longer responsible for our lives.

So what am I saying?  To pretend problems don’t exist?  To pretend that everything’s peachy when it’s not?

That’s not what I’m saying at all.  When something in our lives doesn’t go the way we want, we have several choices:

1.  To take action in order to reach a resolution

2.  Accept what has happened

3.  Label it as a problem and begin an inner dialogue how much it stinks!

We all do #3 but what good does it do?  None, we don’t need it and are much more effective without it!

How is this relevant to happiness?  If you are focused on your problems what are you not focused on?

It is impossible to be in a natural state of happiness and be consumed by problems at the same time.  However, it is possible to have things go wrong in your life and remain in happiness if you do not label them as problems.  They are an illusion.

5.  Remember the Source of Our Happiness

We are not the makers of our treasure.  We did not place it inside ourselves.  God is the source of all happiness.  The reason that happiness resides within us is because He resides within us.  Babies are so blissful because they remain in close connection with Him.  To the degree that we can remove the layers of silt and dirt that lie between us and Him we will discover the happiness that he has already blessed us with in this life.

As we go forth over the following days let’s set a goal to reflect on our natural state of happiness.  As we begin to get caught up in the things of the world, let’s remember that they can neither add nor detract from our true selves.  As things happen that are contrary to our will, let’s deal with them in the best possible way without making them into problems.  If we do this we will be in closer to God and it will have a direct influence on our happiness and the happiness of others.

Thanks for your time.  Thoughts and Comments welcome as always.