Happiness and Consciousness By Garrett Davis The pursuit of happiness. This common saying describes happiness as if it were something meant to be evasive. Happiness is not intent on evading us. It need not be pursued. In fact, it doesn’t even exist outside of how we choose to create it. If we are to successfully figure out how we can experience this state of being called happiness, we must first garner a better understanding of what it is, as well as what it is not. First off, happiness is something that can be created, but it does not respond well to pursuit. The word pursuit suggests that happiness is out there, and our job is to find it. The problem with this model of happiness is that happiness is not out there, it’s in here. Happiness can only exist inside of the individual, as it is manifested. There’s no need to try and find it. What we ought to do is create it and live it. Be happiness. The more one tries to find happiness, the more evasive happiness will become. It is true that it’s easier to create happiness when immersed in some activities over others. This is why so many people are ardent believers in the idea that happiness is something that is to be found. For example, it is easier for me to create happiness when I am writing then when I am doing something less personally desirable. I don’t find happiness in writing; I create happiness and experience it richly while I write. The happiness does not exist in the writing, it exists in me. How do I know this? I know this because I can also write without being happy, if that is what I choose. So how can you experience more joy in your life? The first step is to start taking responsibility for your own happiness. Taking responsibility for your own happiness means taking responsibility for your own thoughts and feelings. This is not only necessary if you are to experience lasting and meaningful happiness, but it’s also the crux of personal growth. Personal growth is scarcely experienced by those who do not embrace a profound sense of responsibility within themselves. You are responsible for what you think and how you feel. No one else is responsible for this. The sooner you can genuinely come to terms with this, the better off you will be. Remember, happiness is something that only exists as you choose to create it. Once you have taken responsibility for your own thoughts and feelings, you may take the next step which is realizing that your natural state of being is that of joy. Of all the thoughts and emotions you can have, it is most natural for you to be happy. How can you know this to be true? You can know this simply because you know that ultimately you want to be happy! It’s that simple. You want to be happy because happiness is the state of being to which you are most naturally inclined. When you experience joy, you experience your natural state of being, which is why it feels so good. The reason that you would never say that you want unhappiness for yourself is because it is not natural for you to want to be unhappy. So if it is natural to be happy, then why do so many people so frequently experience unhappiness? People experience unhappiness when they let unregulated thoughts carry them too far away from their natural state of being. Remember here that happiness can only be experienced as you create it. Joy does not exist in circumstances that are external. Just as you will experience happiness as you create it, the opposite is also true in that you will experience sadness, fear, and depression as you create it. When you are in a state of unease it is because you have let your mind get away from you. When you submit to thoughts that cause you to feel bad, you relinquish control over your mind. As you change course and redirect your thoughts towards that which is in alignment with good feelings, you take back control. So why is it that bad thoughts can make you feel bad, while good thoughts can make you feel good? On the surface this question may sound futile, but it is really quite profound. Take a moment and think about it. When we say that thinking about something makes us feel a certain way, we are really making quite a meaningful statement about human nature. The observation we are making is that there must be something inside of us that is separate from the mind that creates such thoughts. There is something that creates the thought, and then there is something that experiences the repercussions of that thought. Our mind produces the thought, and then there is something on a deeper level inside of us that feels good or bad or somewhere in between as a result of that thought. So, there must be at least two levels of consciousness: The mind that produces the thought, and the deeper level of consciousness that experiences the thought. You have within you a level of consciousness that is deeper than that which generates the thoughts that continuously run through your mind. It follows that if you want to experience happiness then you must learn to control your thoughts. To do this, simply practice thinking thoughts that make you feel good. Really, just practice this. Mentally flip through various thoughts that make you feel good. Stop and dwell upon the thoughts that create within you a feeling of bliss. Memorize that feeling and then recreate it every chance you get. This is a process that may change for you over time. As you get better at it, you will be able to produce good feelings more quickly and easily. As you experience happiness more often, you become more aligned with the circumstances that will help to further your joy. When you are generally unhappy, you tend to manifest into your life the people, places, things and events that align with that unhappiness to bring you more of what you don’t want. When you are generally happy, you will tend to attract beneficial circumstances into your life. Happy, fulfilled people attract to themselves other happy and fulfilled people. On the other hand, misery loves company. Those who choose to filter their experiences through a negative consciousness will find themselves unhappy in a wide array of circumstances that may have otherwise been experienced as pleasant by a person with a better outlook. Do not search for happiness, rather, Be Happiness. Sign up for the free Guidance for the Motivated newsletter. If you enjoy the free information on this site, you’re sure to enjoy the free newsletter. I won’t share your email address, and you can easily unsubscribe at any time. The newsletter goes out about once a week.
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