You have to be willing to get happy
about nothing
– Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol would certainly agree that Happiness is an inside job.
He would also agree that the obsession people have on fixing external circumstances to achieve happiness is a well-worn, and ultimately unsatisfying path.
To start work on the inner road to happiness we wrote about three Risky Ways to get the job going….
- Just Say No
- Stop Complaining. Ask.
- Appreciate, Appreciate, Appreciate
You can read about them here.
And now, in Part 2, we offer more Risky Ways to Be Happy!
4. Three Fingers Pointing Back at You!
This Risky Way to Happiness is to put an end to blaming and to take charge of your experience.
When you are busy blaming someone for your unhappiness or distress, there can be a fleeting sense of gratification. There may even be a moment or two of relief, or even the elation of victory.
Sadly, this faux gratification never leads to long-term wellbeing or happiness.
Perhaps you’ve heard the common expression: When you point a finger at someone there are three fingers pointing back at you!
Point your finger and take a look at the three fingers pointing directly back at you. Your body is reminding you that what you see “out there” is really a reflection of what is going on within you.
Consider this: If you point at someone bullying their way to power at your expense, one finger pointing back at you asks, “How am I like a bully?” You may not be a bully toward others but you may be a bully with yourself. Check it out. If true, it’s time to begin appreciating and loving yourself more.
A second finger asks, “Are you a bully in some situations or with certain people?” Recognize that you have a capacity to act like the person you’re pointing at. What must be going on in your world when you behave that way?
Lastly, a third finger asks, “How do your beliefs about bullying define your perception and shape your experience?” Explore how you create judgments and opinions about situations and people.
This Risky Way is a reminder to slow down and take more ownership of your experience. When you do, you’ll be happier for it.
5. Allow Yourself to Be Happy
You are the only one who has the power to experience Happiness. No one else can do it for you.
There is a myth that if you had this person; that thing; X Y Z amount of dollars; then you would be happy. The risky truth is that Happiness is an inside job based on a choice to allow it to happen easily and effortlessly in your life.
Allow Happy to become the new normal.
Warhol said, “You have to be willing to get happy about nothing”, and he was correct in the sense that Happiness is a birthright. It is your true nature to be happy. Seek it out in every moment because it exists in every moment.
BONUS – The 6th Risky Way to be Happy — Bring Your Senses Alive!
Drudgery?
Moving too fast?
Overwhelmed with too much negative information?
All of these, and more, will shut down the connection to your six senses!
Seeing. Tasting. Smelling. Touching. Hearing. Intuiting.
Awareness of your six senses is essential to your well-being and happiness. Happiness is a result of paying exquisite attention to what turns you on and turns you off.
Your senses are the antenna with which you interpret the world of vibration around you. Happiness is linked to how far you go in allowing your senses to reveal the things that raise your energy and those that lower it.
Take time to touch fabrics and flowers; smell and slowly taste your food and drink; listen for the sounds that please you; notice the blends of color that attract you; pay attention to what your gut and body are signaling.
Think of it this way: When it comes to determining your path to Happiness, if you aren’t following your own sensory rhythms, whose are you listening to? Pay close attention to the answer to that question.
Remember….
Your senses are the ministers
of your Soul.
– Michael Angelo