Happiness…IS

We put so much pressure on ourselves to identify these huge elements of significance in our lives – to lay claim on the things that make us happiest, pursuing our one intense passion, etc. And we end up freezing in stagnation, unable to move forward out of fear. Fear of committing to something that may change over time.

We all change. We all grow, and our interests will change as we learn and explore new things. It’s okay to identify happiness in the moment. Aim high and dream big dreams. But if you’re stuck not being able to identify the big picture, look at what IS. Right now.

Transcript of the video:

This morning, my husband Nathan and I were sitting in bed and going through Danielle LaPorte’s books and inspiration with The Fire Starter Sessions and with Desire Map. The questions that were being asked were about “what things are you most excited about doing?” “What are you most passionate about?” “Where are your intense desires?”
My husband was stumbling on this. Because, right now we’re in a seeking phase and it may be that he doesn’t have something that really jumps out.
The more I thought about this, the more I started to think about the way a kid views life.
And, as my middle daughter Ellie climbed into bed with us, I asked her,

“what makes you happy?”

She immediately started grabbing and identifying things that were right in that present moment.
So she said, “being warm in this bed, laying next to you and to Daddy, and my Rainbow Bear, my pajamas…” These are the things that make her happy.
And they make her intensely happy – in that moment.
Children tend to hold on to the present – more than any other time. They are fully engaged in what is going on RIGHT NOW and the feelings that are going on RIGHT NOW.
Somewhere along the way we lose that. We become so focused on the past, or the future, and we forget about the present moment.
When we try to identify happiness, you don’t have to pull – and the things that inspire you – you don’t have to pull something that is so big that it takes up – that it is your only identifier.
I mean, think about the way that a child does. Where can you find happiness in the present moment?
Just for right now, just for today, I choose to be happy because of THIS.
Today the sun is shining. Today, I feel good. Right now, my warm peppermint tea tastes really really good. These are the things I am happy about. I don’t have to have the pressure of finding something that is a big happy focus intense desire that’s going to be there for the next thirty years. I’m looking at the present moment.
So I was inspired, listening to my girls talking about happiness and what happiness is to them. And the fact that right now, happiness…IS.
It IS. Right now, what is going on. That was my lesson today. That was my inspiration from my kids. I want to focus on what makes me happy in this present moment. I challenge you to do the same. Look around, stop what you’re doing, look around where you’re sitting, however you’re watching this, and come up with five things that make you intensely happy right now. That is something that is existing right now in your present moment.
I would love for you to share them in the comments below. Namaste.