Are You Happy ?

You pause for a moment clenching your fist at that sudden incision a simple question of mine created in your mind. You think hard before you say a word without waiting too long in order to mask your deepest emotions and say apprehensively

‘ I guess I’m somewhat happy, but I’d love to …’
‘ It’s so complicated to put into words. Umm, how would you define happiness ? ’

Somewhat,
Maybe,
Sure I’m Happy, but …

The moment you ask someone if they’re happy, they suddenly cease to be happy, because their mind first navigates to a wormhole that offers rent free space to every negative experience attached to their existence. This has nothing to do with being an optimist or a pessimist, but as humans we desire more of everything, which is why our first instinct is to focus on what is missing in our lives.

However, Nobel Peace Prize winner and philosopher Albert Schweitzer defined happiness in the most simplest yet profound ways

Happiness is Nothing More than
Good Health and a Bad Memory

You already know everything about good health by now don’t you ?

After all you’ve spent hours watching those home workout videos without moving an inch on your couch, while you secretly imagined yourself doing that perfect headstand and being lean mean and green 😉

Therefore, I’m going to skip to the more important and challenging part of developing that bad memory Schweitzer was referring to.

What !? Develop a bad memory !
But I’ve been eating almonds all my life to improve my memory ! De-almondize myself after all these years ?

Believe me, my mother would run after me with almonds when I was a kid, claiming how it would help me remember those historical dates, chemical equations and the difference between stalagmites and stalactites. Now I’m not sure who to credit my scores to, almonds or myself, but it worked out just fine!

No, you don’t have to stop eating that delicious nut, but the point Schweitzer was trying to make with having a bad memory is to have the ability to LET GO. The less you hold on to those negative renters in your mind, the happier you are. While humans tend to hoard all they can acquire, sometimes this also leads to hoarding a bulk of unwanted feelings and emotions.

Whether it was a terrible breakup that left you scarred, a demeaning boss who failed to see your hard work, a two-faced friend who never realized your worth – let go.
There’s obviously many more worse things you may have faced than a few routine examples I stated before. But, regardless of the complexity of your experience, realize that it is holding you back.

The instant you calculate how many moments of happiness a wounded memory is stealing away from you, you will realize it wasn’t worth it. Hey, remember that person you thought you couldn’t live without ?

If you want to learn how to control your overthinking mind, you can find it in my article Are You Taming your Monkey Mind?

Life moves on, and so should you.
Here are some tips on How to Let Go and Free Yourself to be HAPPY :

• Walk away from negative people
• Lower your expectations and be realistic
• Accept that you can’t control the actions of others
• Only worry about what YOU think of yourself
• Leave room for mistakes, but don’t hold on to them
• Learn to forgive 
• Step out of your comfort zone once in a while
• Express your thoughts and emotions frequently

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Happiness does not need to be complicated that we feel incapacitated when trying to define it for ourselves. Don’t let others control how you feel about this precious life and live to the fullest !

Keep Moving to Stay Healthy,
& let a Bad Memory help you move ahead with a Smile !

Carpe Diem !

Find Balance with Utopia Life Coaching !