Project Happiness Articles — happiness

Journaling brings happiness because it helps us to see the forest through the trees. The act of writing helps us prioritize the people, places, activities, and work that foster joy and meaning in our lives.

What does the word happiness mean to you? Though we all want the same thing, happiness, love, to live a meaningful life, to rise to our potential, there is no set formula – the path is different for each one of us. But one thing is sure: happiness is at the core. Our natural state is one of joy; we are here to feel alive. When we vibrate from a place of joy, we are attuned to who we really are. This allows life to open up to us, and allows us to meet that energy in ways we might not have previously imagined.

Connection is my shorthand for the incomparable bliss of knowing and embracing your values and true self, authentically moving through the world nurturing positive connections with other people and the world around you. The idea of connecting (to your own self, to other people, and to any other aspect of our lives) is something with intuitive appeal for us. Life is really all about relationships – how we relate to ourselves, to others, to the world, to our work, etc. What would happen if we focused on strengthening all of those relationships, instead of trying to be “happy”?

We all can learn to embrace the power of our emotions, and instead of being hijacked by them, use them as an inner GPS to create the life we love. It is 100% possible and more intuitive than you think. Know that everything you need is inside of you – this is a reminder of how to get back to your true nature, back to your calm, strong and very best self.

A little over a year ago, I was shocked with the most painful news of my life. I was sitting on a train from San Diego en route to LA, and my father called from the Philippines to tell me that my mother had passed away. An electric shock sensation crawled down my spine and I started to wail on a train full of strangers. I was an ocean away, so far from my family that my mind could not register the painful reality. My mother had no debilitating or life-threatening conditions to the knowledge of myself and my family.

Have you ever had an emotion that hijacked your mind, and you didn’t know where it came from or what to do about it? Have you ever felt that diving into that emotion was something you would rather not do at that moment? Join the human race! We don’t have a problem with the emotions we approve of: happiness, acceptance desire, and love – bring ‘em on…It’s the other side of the emotional spectrum that bothers us: the iceberg of fear, the flames of anger, the cave of despair. How fast can we run? It’s hard enough to live through these challenging emotions, never mind make sense of them. And it’s not like they wait patiently to be looked at...

Life is a journey of self-discovery, on which we can either be our own best ally or our own worst enemy. It depends on whether we see ourselves through a critical or compassionate lens. It depends on whether we accept and believe the critical stories we tell ourselves or recognize and question them with gentle curiosity. So treat yourself like you’d treat your best friend, with comfort, empathy, and encouragement; ask yourself whether you want to be perfect or healthy? Superior or connected? And remember, we’re in this together.

I have learned that experiences never occur in a vacuum. That is, there are always other people with whom we share life. I found happiness through the people who cared for me, and the faith, hope, and unceasing love they imparted. In reflecting upon my own experiences with cancer, I have identified two constant and continual “avenues of happiness” from within the “frame of experience” of my own journey through cancer. Perhaps these will bring some peace, hope, and healing to those of you who read this also. Your healing, in whatever form that may come, is my hope.