Project Happiness Articles — SoulSunday

I’m talking about the fear that unfailingly comes up every single time we set out to do something expansive, something enriching that’s out of our comfort zone, and that likely even calls to us and inspires us. That’s where COURAGE comes in. Courage is the ability to meet our fear and to overcome it, to show up and take action, despite it.

Everyone wants to be happy, yet no one seems to know how to do it. The act of being happy has sparked a lot of discussion and thousands of studies have been conducted trying to solve the problem with happiness. Psychologists and scientists seem to have found the solution: little habits create big changes and lead to happiness.

In all ways, I believe this is true. At the very burning, volcanic diamond-centers of ourselves, we are complete. Enough. Multiversal. I do, however, have trouble reconciling this truth with my inherent impulse to try and improve myself constantly.

I attended a workshop recently on the topic of flow or what some people refer to as “the zone.”  We were discussing that professional athletes, musicians, and experts, create their best work in the zone. So, is being in “the zone” just for the extraordinary or can we mere mortals, doing well but seeking to do better, learn the tricks of the trade?  

The modern corporate lifestyle glorifies the “Work hard, play hard” philosophy – you should have it all, and you should have it right away. A successful career, an abundant social life, the right body, the expensive holiday, a plethora of possessions…all topped with a flashy Instagram profile to show off just how fun-loving you are.

I like it because you can embark on whatever you wish. How delightful it would be if we all, instead of "having to do", " should get done" or "must finish", we simply embarked on every day, every task, every thing as though we were compelled by this work to simply journey without necessarily knowing the ending.

Facing mental health issues leaves you caught in the headlights. It strips you of everything you think is essential and forces you to reevaluate your life, and that's what has happened to me. Crazy, I know, but thats how my issues with mental health can alter my thinking. And yet I am not my illness, and every day I strive to take up the challenge to celebrate life for all that it is.

But when it comes to learning, there’s an unlimited amount to learn. So much so that you’ll be dead long before you get the chance to finish it all. And the more you learn and gain knowledge, the more self esteem you end up with! Self esteem and knowledge go hand in hand.

Admitting you have a problem is the first step in helping yourself and allowing others to do so as well. When my cry for help came, I was exhausted to the point that even thinking about the solution was tiring for me. But let’s start from the beginning.

I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve looked back at decisions I’ve made, often the frightening or difficult ones, and had an incredible amount of gratitude wash over me. Gratefulness for that one person who had the guts to take a leap; my past self.