Musings on Being Happy!

My last post on Facebook (on August 15^th), defined my idea of Freedom.  Everything that makes me feel free in my spirit, soul and heart.  It probably didn’t go down well with a few critics who messaged saying that my idea of life is too idealistic and that I have lost touch of reality.  The message to me was “face the fact that there are issues around and stop always being so positive and upbeat about life as if the world is a perfect place to live in”..(In so many words)..

Thank you critics for inspiring me to write this blog.  This blog is also a trigger from a deep conversation that I had with a friend who was kind enough to open his heart and let me peep into his vulnerabilities.  I don’t mean to shut my critic, please keep inspiring and I hope that what I write here today resonates with many at large and my friends, in particular.

I liked what my critics said – World is not a perfect place to live in.. but for me “the world begins with me”. I have still not seen the entire world outside yet but I am well in touch with the world inside me and in the little 'inner work' journey that I have been on since last few years;  the experience has been that the moment we start aligning the world inside us, with the things we value; the world outside aligns as well.  The question that I frequently ask myself is – Am I perfect within me that I want to build and live in a perfect world around me? If I am not able to manage myself well, how well will I be able to manage the world around myself.

That brings me to another ‘accusation’ that I always look at the bright side and ignore all the turmoil that the world is going through.  Well, I actually don’t ignore. My way of reducing or responding to the turmoil outside is by being at peace with myself most of the times. I don’t want to add in to the negative energies around by storing them within and radiating them to the world outside, thus, further, making it a miserable place to live in. Does that mean I am always at peace…well no…sometimes life shakes and stirs me as well, I do get angry and upset with people who are closest to me but then I consciously try to shift the focus back to things that are working so well in life…be aware of them; express gratitude…expand them..make them grander than all other aspects that are not working well. And all this is not to ignore the negatives but to consciously choose what I store within myself…I can only pour into someone’s cup from what I have with me…Hence, I choose to fill my cup with enthusiasm, dreams and hopes and use that to pour inspiration in other people’s life through my work and my interactions with them.

Last few days encouraged me to have some profound conversations with my comfort zone of friends.  Thought will sum it all up with some musings / life lessons/ experiences that have influenced me a lot to look at situations differently;

·         Looking at positives doesn’t mean the not so positives go away.  They remain.  The journey of change is an inside out process.  Before you think of changing your circumstances; how about changing yourself and the lens with which you look at the world around you.   

·         Life is a mirror.  It responds in a way you interact with it. With all the turmoil in your mind, what energies do you expect to get back from this world?

·         Sometimes, to feel the spring in your feet as you go around exploring life, trust the Universe. Let go of the urge to control, set an intention to solve a situation and venture out in the day. You will chance upon a person, a book, a piece of article that will say something to clear the fogginess in your mind, if not completely, atleast to an extent that will inspire you to look for the solution further. My inspiration has been kids..they seem to have answers to all my questions…so sometimes I just set an intention and spend time with them, observe them, engage with them in a casual chat, play with them and most of the times the answers appear.. if not from them directly, I pick up energies and vibes that allow me to discover those answers myself.  The trick is to find what allows you to express joy in different situations. Most complicated situations are resolved in such moments of joy.

·         And finally; people step into your life for a reason.  Accept them. When you the student is ready to change the world within; Teachers will appear in different forms. Allow them to inspire you, do not judge situations or these teachers, you never know what you may end up learning from them!

As I was writing this blog; looking for more inspiration and words; chanced upon this lovely research by Prof Wiseman for his book ‘Psychology of Luck’ http://www.richardwiseman.com/research/psychologyluck.html.  Ironically, it sums up the whole thing with a statement that taking control of the situation differentiates lucky people from the ‘unlucky’ ones.

In the end, No one is perfect (including me, The Idealist J ) but we can always be on a quest to make the most of the journey with all its imperfections and become better individuals each day.