Posted by Cathy W
I have been thinking about this since our Master Of Destinies call a few weeks ago and wanted to share and would love to hear other perspectives on this.
I went through many years of my life not really knowing what happiness was and thinking that I would never feel happy. Sure I had moments of joy in my life but they passed and the underlying feeling I had was one of sadness. It was not until I threw myself into personal development that I started to understand that my happiness had to come from within. I had to deal with all the sabotaging beliefs that I had about myself – it was a long journey but so worthwhile.
I believe I have Internal (long term) and External (short term) happiness and both are important to my well being mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
My Internal happiness comes from loving myself, believing in myself, nurturing myself and allowing myself to just BE. Being in control of the ‘mind’ chatter and not allowing it to influence my decisions. Knowing how to protect myself when life is challenging and having a general feeling of excitement about life and Gratitude for all that I have.
My External happiness comes from all the little things that happen each day and having an awareness and appreciation for them all. Enjoying a cup of coffee, reading a good book, having a good day in my business, playing with the dog, catching up with family and friends, gardening, watching the sunrise, finding a $20 note in my pocket … you get the idea.
Being Happy inside allows me to enjoy all the External moments of happiness but not rely on them to make me feel good. I can be just as Happy spending a day on my own and having no contact with the outside world.
Finding that inner happiness gave me the power to change my life and to stand strong even when times were tough … it is kind of like a secret sanctuary that I live in and when things become chaotic on the outside I can disappear into myself and stay calm and usually make better choices about how I am going to do life.