Your perfect happiness is possible and attainable. As A Course in Miracles teaches our perfect happiness is the Divine’s will. Why is it then that attaining happiness is a never ending chase?
We have been conditioned to believe that our happiness depends on circumstances and other people’s behavior. When we believe this we give our power away and we wait. We wait for circumstances to change and for other people to change to be happy. When we do this we put our life on hold. We tell ourselves that our happiness can wait, that we’ll be happy when…
And we wait…
And wait…
And wait…
But your happiness is available to you right now. Happiness is ALWAYS available. Under all circumstances, in all situations, and in any place. You can choose happiness.
What is the number one barrier that keeps you from your birthright of happiness?
Your self-concept. What is your self-concept? Self-concept is defined as the idea or mental image one has of oneself and one’s strengths, weaknesses, status, etc.
Our self-concept is formed as a young child by how our parents and other authority figures reacted and responded to us. We actually define our capabilities and our worthiness based on who we believed we were before we were six or seven years old. Of course there are those of you who have actively explored your beliefs and have healed your self-concept, therefore this may not be true for you. But if you haven’t, it is true for you.
Most of us learned from as children that we are not enough. We are not thin enough, smart enough, sexy enough, patient enough, driven enough, good enough, acceptable enough, on and on…
Because we don’t believe that we are enough, happiness seems to be the furthest from our mind. Feeling not enough keeps us on edge. We get caught up in people-pleasing and other activities that serve to validate us. We erroneously believe that “if Jenifer likes me”, or “my son’s teacher think I’m a good mom”, “if my house is clean enough, I’m thin enough, I drive the right car” then I will be happy. But none of these things are your path to happiness, they are just the ways in which you struggle to prove your “enoughness”.
Your perfect happiness springs from knowing that you ARE enough. You are enough when you forget to sign the permission slip for your child, you are enough when you stop by McDonalds to feed your kids, you are enough with the fifty extra pounds, you are enough right now in this moment. Knowing, and I mean a deep heart-felt knowing, that you are enough begins to foster happiness. Emotional Freedom Technique and other self-love tools are power tools that help you get to this knowing. You begin to trust life and you begin to trust yourself.
I invite you to consider and even journal about what you believe is true about you? What did you learn about you from the authorities in your life?
Please leave your comments, insights and questions below in the comments area. I will reply.