“The most important thing is to enjoy your life—
to be happy—it’s all that matters.”
~Audrey Hepburn
So there are lots of people who think that focusing on happiness is being too idealistic or Pollyanna or simple minded.
And as you probably know, I completely disagree.
I think that consciously practicing the art of happiness is essential to becoming who we are meant to be.
Living as happy as we can is crucial to being a kind, compassionate, giving person.
I believe that the more fulfilled and generous people living in this world, the better it will be.
To me, practicing living happy means being good to myself so that I can be good to others and ultimately be good to our environment {our precious mama Earth + all her creatures}.
I believe that feeling happy is a totally personal experience, and I also believe that happiness begins with self awareness and self loving care.
Being a happy human does not mean that we do not suffer or face challenge in life. Just like being a healthy person does not mean we do not suffer sickness or hurt.
Being happy means that we are fully aware of our own needs + desires and have practices in place in the form of rituals and routines that help us weather the rough waters with greater ease and skill…because we’ve been practicing every day how to feel better, more aligned, more in the flow.
When hard times arise in our lives, we are better equipped to move through the challenge without completely losing our shit.
Take me for example. My life has been feeling especially challenging to me lately…lots of emotional discord that has me feelin’ a little crankier and less patient than usual.
Instead of feeling bad about myself or falling into that trap of self sabotage and blame, I am practicing gentle awareness. Honoring the experience of feeling stressed and uncertain. And amping up my self lovin’ care.
When I’m facing stress in my life, I tend to feel more tired {exhausted really!}, and much less tolerant {of myself and others}. Simply knowing this about myself gives me a little ease when dealing with hard times.
The other night when my girls had a sleepover with my mama {such an awesome gramma…and mama!}, I really just wanted to curl up in bed and chill. But then that overachieving part of my brain chimed in…”Don’t you think it’d be better to use this time to work? You don’t want to be lazy, Denise!”
Ayyyy. For a minute, I just about pulled out my laptop, and then thankfully, I came to my senses. I listened to my body {and my mood} and gave myself permission to frickin’ relax.
I got into my cozies and snuggled in my oh so lovely bed and didn’t get up to do a damn thing for the next 14 hours.
Truly. I just slept and meditated and journaled {only a little} and read and did absolutely nothing.
And it felt so luxurious.
What a gift to give myself…permission to do what feels good to my mind and body ultimately soothes my soul, too.
This time to rest allows me to rejuvenate myself so I can carry on with more enthusiasm and energy. It’s not time wasted. In fact, it’s time invested.
We have got to give ourselves what we need to stay full…an empty vessel has nothing to give.
I want to show up full and complete and whole and as happy as I can be in each moment…
For myself, because I deserve to enjoy this life.
For my family, because I know I create the weather in my home…and I want life to feel peaceful for them.
For my community, because how I interact with everyone around me creates a ripple effect…of kindness or meanness.
For all of us, because truly we are all connected.
So I encourage you today to consider how you are nurturing yourself…what are you doing to keep your cup full + your mind, body, soul feeling aligned + free?
The more we take care of ourselves, the easier it feels to stay connected to that deep infinite joy that is always available to us.
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