“I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience, I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.” (Dalai Lama)
Happiness
| What makes you happy? Make a list of at least 10 things that bring joy to your heart. |
The University of Pennsylvania offers a survey called the “Authentic Happiness Inventory[1].” The process of completing it can help one consider what makes one happy. Also, simply making a list of what parts of your life make you happy is a valuable pursuit.
| How do you find meaning in your life? Do you have purpose and value in your daily activities? |
Many people derive a state of well-being from living a meaningful life. When I retired from teaching in Alaska, many of my friends were also at the retirement stage of life. We frequently talked about the value of what we had done with our lives. The question frequently discussed was this.
| Do you think you have spent your life in a worthwhile way? How would you like to change it? |
According to Psychology Today happiness is “a state of well-being that encompasses living a good life.”1
| What makes a ‘good life? |
Om Fuente
O source of all love, light and joy
Connect me with my inner being,
Filled with unconditional love.
Connect me to the source
Of all grounding energy, Mother Earth.
Connect me to the fountain
Of light from Father Sky.
Connect me to all creation.
Let me feel the connectedness.
Om fuente.
Nina Massey
Cultivating Feeling with the Heart
Finding ways to connect to one another with the heart can allow us to be happy with those with whom we work. The ability to collaborate begins with being able to feel good about those we are working with. Indeed, helping one another brings a sense of fulfilment. At a retreat which I attended in the fall of 2018, one of the teachers said that we should focus on what we love and enjoy about another, not on their ‘foibles,’ minor weaknesses, flaws, defects, and problems. I remembered this each time I felt annoyed with another. When I switched my thoughts from the challenges and difficulties to the fun and positive qualities, somehow the struggles were lessened. Feeling and interacting from the heart, being empathetic, finding joy with what arises, learning to laugh at oneself, are all ways of lightening the day and the workload. Motivation is increased with feeling inspiration, enthusiasm and encouragement and other qualities which come from the heart.
Chanting the Song of Love
Opening our hearts,
Receptive to beauty
Listening to the sound,
The beauty and rhythm
Of each individual.
The unique vibration of one another
The pattern and rhythm of being
Flowing in the energy of the group.
What is the song of love?
Note by note it enfolds
Wrapping our being
In a cloak
Of the Divine Essence.
The melody is a caress
Of the harmony of the group.
The angels come to sing with us.
Open our hearts, listen
The song of love is all around us,
Waiting to be heard.
Nina Massey
Cultivating Gratitude
One of the most important things we can do for our own well-being is to cultivate gratitude. Learning to see the beauty in each moment, to really accept all the gifts given to us, no matter how small they may seem is one of the most important ways of finding happiness.
| Make a list of at least 5 things for which you are grateful each day. |
Thank you
For the sun on the mountains,
The moon and the stars at night.
Thank you
For the snow on the mountains,
the wind and the light.
Thank you
For the clean, clear water
Raining down on the land.
Thank you
For the light, gentle breeze
Blowing, breathing by.
Thank you
For the breath and life within
Filling my heart and my soul.
Nina Massey
[1] University of Pennsylvania. Authentic Happiness. Retrieved (2019) from https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/testcenter
1 Happiness. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/happiness