***MEET AUTHOR CYNTHIA DIANE CLAYTON AND JOURNEY TOGETHER***
Don’t I Need a Reason to Be Happy?
Wherever you are on your journey to a happier life, even in a pit of despair, you can begin immediately to take ownership of your own happiness and advance your well-being. Have you heard of unconditional happiness? Not only in how you love others without any expectations of them or conditions put on them before you love them, but in how you live your life and how to be happy yourself without the world needing to readjust itself to make you happy. This type of pure happiness, independent of outer circumstances but sustained by enhanced heart qualities, is considered sacred, but likewise a goal state achievable in daily life by everyone.
9/5/20252 min read
You may grow tired of feeling insufficient, incomplete, unfulfilled, constantly unsatisfied and distressed, and finally discover outer things don’t bring lasting happiness. Being happy when our desires are fulfilled is certainly welcomed, but when the conditions change again, (have you noticed conditions are always changing!!!), then you will be happy one day and not the next. Happiness dependent on outer conditions is often fleeting, and you’re stuck chasing one desire after another.
Realize that happiness is an inside job. You may have heard spiritual teachers express the idea that happiness and peace are our natural state, our true inner essence. Not dependent on outward circumstances, not focused on getting something – but on being someone. A person resting in their inherent happy nature. Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk often called "the happiest man in the world" by researchers who've measured his brain's functioning both in and out of meditation, defines happiness as: “A deep sense of flourishing that arises from an exceptionally healthy mind. This is not a mere pleasurable feeling, a fleeting emotion, or a mood, but an optimal state of being.”
Marci Shimoff, one of the authors in Compass of Hope, went on a quest interviewing the happiest people all over the world discovered:
“Happy for no reason isn't elation, euphoria, mood spikes, or peak experiences that don't last. It doesn't mean grinning like a fool 24/7 or experiencing a superficial high. Happy for no reason isn't an emotion. In fact, when you are happy for no reason, you can have any emotion- including sadness, fear, anger, or hurt- but you still experience that underlying state of peace and well-being.
When you're happy for no reason, you bring happiness to your outer experiences rather than trying to extract happiness from them. You don't need to manipulate the world around you to try to make yourself happy. You live from happiness, rather than for happiness.”
The Secrets of Happiness are Backed by the Science of Happiness
You may be surprised to discover current scientific research concludes in the fields of Positive Psychology, Psychophysiology, and Neuroscience, that happy people all have the same “happiness habits”, proven to substantially raise happiness. “Habits” such as:
gratitude
forgiveness
loving-kindness (tolerance, compassion)
generosity
trusting Life (hope or faith)
listening to intuition
cultivating positive relationships
finding purpose, inspiration, passion
connection with a greater power (spirituality) with awe and reverence
These habits produce a quantifiable state, a specific, measurable physiological state characterized by distinct brain activity, heart rhythms, and body chemistry, measured by modern researchers such as Joe Dispenza, Bruce Lipton, Nassim Haramein, and HeartMathⓇ. These experiences of happiness and well-being trigger increased levels of feel-good hormones – oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. Your mind and heart are in a state of coherence, balanced in optimal resiliency.
I invite you to read Compass of Hope for several practices to invite the bluebird of happiness into your life, with inspiration on how to become happier and live your best possible life!