Do you really know what it takes to be happy?

  Being happy seems to be our ultimate goal here, living our lives on planet Earth. But do we understand what happiness really is? Most of us just borrowed the concept of happiness as it was served by society and family. Most of us never questioned these imposed standards: you’re supposed to achieve money/ status/fame/security, you’re supposed to get married/ have a partner/raise kids/ nephews etc. We’re supposed to all want the same things. 

   The human as a body/mind/spirit complex

   Let’s start from scratch though: if you want to be happy you have to understand who/what/how you are. You may have a name and you may be an individual but actually you are a complex. There are 3 main aspects of you living under the same roof. You are a mind/body/spirit complex. Each of these aspects have their own needs and your persona can only be happy when these aspects are brought into harmony. That means you have to consider and prioritize each of these 3 aspects of you, without discrimination.

  Our lives are generally centered around meeting the needs of our bodies. We became extremely focused on that but we are still unfulfilled and more than that and in spite of that, our bodies are not in perfect health/harmony.

  Next level self-care

  Your body is a consequence, a manifestation of your spirit / mind in this particular order. Subsequently, we have to reevaluate self-care. Just as you invest time in brushing your teeth, taking a shower, buying clothes, eating maybe you should consider investing time in feeding and taking care of your spirit and your mind aspects, too.

   That, of course, involves a huge shift in our own psychology and a change of lifestyle. Our daily routine has to change, it’s crucial for achieving well-being / happiness / sanity / human potential etc.

   We are going through this shift as a collective now and we need help, reinforcements and encouragement. More and  more people are interested in spiritual practices and in personal development.  

   What is actually needed is to move from being interested  to taking action. Start applying those teachings and practices you have read in those books or have listened on YouTube. Start going deeper in understanding them, start investing time and money without feeling doubtful. There are plenty of free resources but go deeper and invest in what you really resonate with. Teachers and trainers dedicated their lives in tailoring and creating content of spiritual knowledge. It is natural to be willing to pay for that, as it is when you have to pay for food / clothes / holidays.

  Incorporate a spiritual practice in your daily routine. We need a spiritual hygiene as we need a physical hygiene. Whatever you feel drawn to: meditation, yoga, prayer, mindful walking in nature, taking time to be alone and quiet etc. Just assign a certain amount of time everyday to caretaking your spirit. Start with 15 minutes if you think you don’t have time. But do it every day, religiously. It makes all the difference. 

  Take care of your mind! Our minds are full of clutter. The stress levels skyrocketed this century. Mental health is a widespread issue. The new normal is to be stressed. We have to learn how to deal with our own minds. Do whatever it takes to give your mind a break once a day at least. Learn to control your thoughts, you don’t have to be a master at this but you can do something about it.

  What does your mind need? It needs to be fed with what is interesting to you, it needs to learn new things, it needs to get relaxed at the right time, it needs to get rid of unnecessary thoughts, it needs to be populated with thoughts that support your goals and well-being. You have a mind, you are not your mind. Take control of your mind. How? Start by monitoring it. You will see how chaotic it is. That’s ok. It’s very difficult in the beginning but slowly you will be able to have some level of control. It makes all the difference. Read about it, inform yourself about it but more importantly start practicing!

   Take care of your heart! Which is practically your spirit, your soul. Only you know what your heart needs. Do things that put you in a state of joy, contentment. It can be small things like playing with a cat or it can be something like going on a trip. Or maybe it’s something that requires a lot effort to achieve something that brings you a lot of joy! Your overall vibration is dictated by your heart and based on your vibration, you create your own reality, you create your life. 

  As you pay attention to all these aspects of you which have been neglected for so long, you might discover that happiness is not what you thought it was, for you specifically. It’s when we start making adjustments, our psychology changes and than our attitudes and behaviors. 

  Life is hard. But why?

  We have been challenged to master all these aspects of ourselves in the same time. We tried neglecting our spirit, it didn’t get us far. We most of the time neglect our mind, it doesn’t reduce the stress whatsoever. Neglecting our bodies wouldn’t be wise either. We shouldn’t favour any aspect over the others, we should just acknowledge them all.

   A change in yourself has ripple effects far beyond your comprehension

   And here we are on the journey of self-discovery, self- improvement and awareness. And this is the only and the most effective way to create that better world we all dream of. It is not initiated by the government, it doesn’t commence with the system.

  It is set in motion by the individual. When enough of us become empowered, aware and conscious we, as a collective will manifest true leaders and eventually a new system in more alignment with the well-being of us humans and of the environment we live in.