sapientbreeze

The path to true happiness could be seen as the pursuit of truth. In pursuing happiness, it is necessary to know that happiness isn’t precisely the same as “having a good time” or “enjoying yourself”. Happiness is more a state of being than a simple feeling. You cannot seek happiness in things or distractions… on some level, you already know this to be true. Carefully consider how past pursuit of happiness has lead to only hallow, temporary bliss. Make no judgment of yourself for this: each must learn this lesson on their own and in their own time.

Why must we feel anything but bliss? To properly explore this question is the project of a lifetime. A simple answer could be that all feelings are messages from your core self. You might instead say your higher self, your soul, or perhaps even the “real you” buried under the stresses of everyday life. Regardless, these messages might only be feedback on how your circumstances, your life, or even who you have become matches your inner truth.

When you live in accordance with that truth, you will feel it in every single thing you do. Life takes on a lightness that cannot be adequately explained to another. Being present is no task – you merely are. Your path to this happiness is your own, which is why only you can find the way. I’d love to help you if I can… but this is a personal journey one must willingly take alone and for themselves alone.

There are pitfalls to living one’s own truth; far too many – and too many lies drowning out that single whisper of truth. For now, let’s keep it simple: strive to acknowledge and accept your feelings. Every feeling, in time. This is perhaps the simplest powerful change you can make in your life: learn to pay attention to how you feel.

This does not mean that you should indulge feeling for the sake of feeling… unfortunately this is yet another trap, which likely deserves its own exploration. For now, try to pay attention to how you feel. When something “bothers you” – don’t fight it! Stop and ask yourself “why”. This takes true courage, and practice to incorporate in everyday life. Start small… try to explore one notable feeling each day. Sit with the feeling… be with it, turn towards it. See if you can find the feeling’s origin, and therein a kernel of your truth.

As you begin this journey, know that while feelings can be seen as messages, this does not quite hold with trauma. If the source of a feeling is addressed, the feeling will diminish and eventually fade to nothing. In my experience, trauma is quite another thing altogether. If this fits you, know that my heart breaks for the painful road that has brought you to these words. While trauma itself will likely remain a part of you, the pain it brings can be managed and accepted in time. Often the path to this is not one suited to an individual alone… seek kindred spirits who have faced that same darkness. The trauma will make you stronger, but until then, please don’t suffer it alone and in silence. Seek the courage to find someone you trust, and to tell them… How you feel is completely normal, and it is not your fault… regardless of how it happened and why. We are all just grown babies trying to pick our way through a hateful, cold world… how can you be to blame.

In time, I encourage you to apply this practice towards the people or things that truly bother you. When something evokes strong feelings in you, that is a signal… a message of utmost importance. Try to think: “Something here contains a piece of my truth that I cannot yet understand.” Have the courage to sit with that feeling, and to look deeply into its origin. The more uncomfortable that makes you the better… this can turn some of the most negative interactions you face into fuel for your self discovery.

As you move through life and find your truth, remember that this is a process that never ends. You are never done… there is no permanent state of enlightenment, nor a fully awakened being. These are states we move in and out of… avoid the complacency of thinking you’ve arrived at true happiness. Your truth will never be permanently understood, as you are a process possessing no fixed state… so please keep an open mind. Life has a way of throwing challenges and tragedies our way to teach us what we most need to learn. Do your best to stand your ground, and to to watch for these opportunities.

You are FAR stronger than you think. The blood of ancient mankind flows through your veins. The hunters who braved an ice age, the warriors who survived human barbarism, the champions of legend… we are their descendants. Don’t let anyone, ever, tell you what you are or are not capable of. This applies most of all to yourself. We will visit that negative voice inside, but for now, know that I see the warrior in you… in all of you. Look to him or her for strength when you need it most, and you will find it. Find the audacity to believe in yourself, and I promise you can do anything. So don’t shrink away from these negative feelings… instead, meet them with compassion and an open mind.

You are not your feelings. Should you desire happiness, seek truth. Should you seek truth, seek hardship. Let the hard feelings come, and don’t be afraid – the only possible failure is but refusal to try.