Say You Will

Inasmuch as life does not stay the same, it will be good for you to lean toward what makes you happy. Although thoughts of how badly life has treated you may give you some sense of vindication, such thoughts do not lift you to happiness. By and large, the more belly-aching you do, the more belly-aching you will continue to do. You play a losing game. However, the more you focus on what makes you happy, the more happiness will be yours.

In fact, right now, if you will think of something that gives you joy to think about, you will have more happiness right now. No matter what difficulties you may be in the midst of, if you like mountain climbing, make some plans to mountain-climb for this weekend. If you are bedridden and cannot, then read a book about someone else’s adventures of mountain-climbing and have some of the happiness you desire.

It seems obvious that thinking of what gives you even a little happiness works better in this moment than recounting all the reasons why you are not happy right now. How can anyone not know this or act on this? Go toward what you want rather than rattling off what you can’t stand another moment of. The fact is that you can stand it. The fact is that you can rise above it.

You can’t keep waiting for a genie to appear or a Fairy Godmother to whisk your present situation away. You may be convincing yourself that I ought to do something about your unhappiness now. Whatever your life may be, whatever your woes are, there is something for you to do that you have to do and no one can do for you. Feeling troubled is for you to remove from your life. If you stay the same, another unwanted unhappiness will take the old unhappiness’s spotlight.

You may feel that you can only be happy when X is removed from your life, yet if you are miserable now, something else will come forward. You may think: “If I divorce, how happy I will be.” Thousands of men and women could tell you that this isn’t their experience.

I would love to see you happy. You know by now that happiness is not a commodity. Happiness is not financial wealth. It is not youth. You had youth and were in turmoil. It is not even health for you have had good health and been unhappy.

Beloveds, peace lies within you. Peace is not the climate you live in. Peace is the harbinger of happiness. It allows happiness to enter. Happiness is neither an absence nor is happiness a presence outside you. It is your bent. You are the stirrer of your own happiness or unhappiness. It is not just talk when I say that you can have happiness under all circumstances. Put your attention on happiness and take your attention off unhappiness. You set the limits upon yourself. I ask you to ease up on unhappiness. Unhappiness is not a life sentence. Happiness may be something that you have been waiting for as if you can only be a willing object of happiness and not an attractor. No, My dear, you are the subject who garners happiness within you right now.

If moaning about how unhappy you feel brought you happiness, I would tell you to moan about your unhappiness. However, extolling about how unhappy you are, doesn’t work, so I tell you in no uncertain terms to stop dwelling on what does not give you happiness.

You are not a victim of unhappiness, for you tend to call unhappiness to you and take it in and give it a home. You may complain about unhappiness while you make it comfortable.

Come, now, become a happiness-monger. Come out of darkness into the Light. Look up, make no complaints, and invite happiness to you. Get your mind off your difficulties. Even in your same situation, you can be rich with happiness. Don’t say you can’t. Say you will.