A Fail-Proof Recipe for Happiness

Yesterday I bought a new dress. It's not  so much that I needed a new dress, but it was the soft purple of  the jacaranda trees that lined the streets of the city in spring where I grew up. Every time I look at my new dress I feel absurdly happy. This particular shade of purple does that to me. So I plan to look at it often and wear it as often as I can.

There is a simple recipe for happiness that is utterly fail-proof.

Know what makes you happy. Do more of it.

Know what makes you unhappy. Do less of it.

It's simple, really.

It makes me ridiculously happy to wake up to birdsong in a tent. Guess where I am right now as I'm writing these words? I'm on Great Keppel, a small island just off the East Coast of Australia, where I unplug for a couple of days every month to write and relax.

I woke up about an hour ago at 5.55am to soft light streaming through the open weave mesh paneling of the tent. Even now, the air is still alive with birdsong and needless to say, my heart is happy.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that it doesn't take much to make me happy. Walking barefoot on the beach. A cold shower on a hot day. One perfect Lindt chocolate. A glass of Merlot with my love. Dinner with a possum. Star-gazing. Wearing a purple summer dress.

I'm happy when I'm writing. I'm happy when I'm meditating. I'm happy when I act generously, or express myself creatively, or succeed in moving out of my comfort zone. I'm happy when I connect with the marvellous women who are members of the Soulwoman Sanctuary and see how they take responsibility for creating their own health, wealth, and happiness, and how they blossom and grow.

Conflict? I don't do much of that. Why would I if it makes me so unhappy?

Working too hard. Playing the victim. Ignoring my own needs. Neglecting my body. Judging myself and others... Doesn't work for me. I still stumble and fall - often! - but I'm working towards gaining awareness of what makes me unhappy so I can choose something different.

Please understand, I'm not saying that life is always easy and you can go through life only doing happy things. I'm well aware that the world is chaotic and nature is in constant flux. I know that shit happens... and often. Yet, if you're really honest with yourself, how much of your suffering is self-inflicted? If it's true that you can choose where your attention goes, how often do you choose to focus on the negative?

When you declare yourself willing to pause and respond to old habits differently, you begin to see real change in your life. If fear, anger, jealousy, greed, addictions and compulsions make you unhappy, let them go.

Unmask yourself.

Melt your ego. Open your heart and mind to new possibilities. Turn to helping and healing. Liberate yourself from unnecessary pain.

Choose happiness by simplifying your life. Embrace the world the way it is and don't spend your precious energy on raging over what you can't control. Exit old habits that don't serve you anymore. Make a conscious decision to do what you love as often as you can. After all, it's the simple things that propel you into living life beautifully.

What makes YOU happy? Do more of it, my lovely, and get ready for a heart that sings every day.

I would love to know what you're planning to do more of ~ and less of. Please leave a comment below.

Let’s create miracles together!

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