I could not be any fonder of a good old ponder every now and then. Inward reflection for the purpose of growth and not self-shame is most definitely the name of my game. And so, in that same spirit, ask yourself this: To what extent are you postponing your joy until someone or something in your life changes?
I would say most of us are familiar with old mate inner voice and his or her rants about happiness being a totally achievable goal but only if you get that pay rise, if you finally find a life partner or if that nasty cancer goes away? Let’s just pop that fulfilment you are seeking on lay-by, shall we, until these things’ happen. Much safer strategy. Much, much, safer.
But what if these things never change or happen (or take their sweet time to)? Should we extend our lay-by indefinitely and stay grumpy about life’s supposed imperfections? Or, do we just make that final payment regardless of life’s outer circumstances and pick up our contentment to take home to enjoy and allow right now?
Just like a good game of hide and seek, in life most of us will consistently close our eyes to count to 100 then open them to commence the frustrated and frantic search to find or produce the perfect person, place or material thing that we are certain will bring us happiness. Yes, there is always a fleeting sense of glee after the first hidden treasure you find is revealed to you but more often than not you will then swiftly commence your next move to finding a new hidden treasure. And so on the hamster wheel goes.
But are you after a series of temporary and transient pleasures or are you after perennial joy? I have read multiple translations of the epic Indian tale of The Bhagavad Gita (BG), a spiritual guidebook for life, and one of its key messages is that the only place you will find everlasting fulfilment is within you. And news flash, desperately-seeking sunshine, it is there already.
That kind of self-sufficiency to feel happy without all the reliance on external props and dependencies has always been alluring to me. When Lord Krishna counsels his student in the BG to abandon all supports and look to Me for protection, readers are to take from this that the reference to Me is an analogy for our higher selves. Lord Krishna allegorically represents the Universe which in the Vedic tradition is our true nature and source.
The wisdom shared in this simple quote is to seek strength and happiness from nowhere but within. That part of us that is our real home which is pure consciousness. Our individual physical body experiencing the world every day via our five senses is but a temporary orphanage. There is one changeless reality that sits behind and supports the world of constant flux and change that we live in day to day. And that is where the happiness we are constantly seeking ‘out there’ is really at.
End the constant search and dependency missions. Meditate, go within. Tell happiness that you are coming, ready or not!
If you want to learn Vedic meditation to feel and be happy now, with no conditions whatsoever, then please register for one of my courses in the link below (email me if you have questions before you make your decision and we can chat):
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