Finding our way to happiness
- Written by Eric North aka “The Happiness Warrior”
When I was young, I knew that my interests and dreams were different than the other kids and I often felt disconnected and an outlier. I was constantly seeking knowledge and always hungry to learn anything that I could find of interest. I learned to read at an early age and devoured encyclopedias and biographies. Instinctively and perhaps genetically my brain was wired to process information and store it in my rapidly developing brain. I sought people who were happy and smart and learned how to find common ground with strangers. I was unstoppable in my quest to learn more about what it means to be human and find my way in life.
Always open-minded, a bit earnest, and sometimes too trusting. I sought happiness in those around me and was quick to disappear when I sensed hostility and tension.
I was eager to explore the world and travel on my own to places I had never been. Nothing to hold me back and a belief that no matter how I felt about myself in the present that an amazing life was ahead of me.
I was fortunate to have guides in my life who were truly happy and who knew that I wasn’t always able to fit in with the world around me. Always present and in the moment with love and inherited wisdom and core values. Even in our darkest moments we are never truly alone, there is always someone who cares.
My dreams were always big, and my ideas were always radically my own. I realized almost before I could speak that my brain processed information too quickly for the comfort of others. An awkward and alienating feeling of communicating in different wavelengths and never reaching an understanding. The sinking feeling of having to dumb down my responses so that I could assimilate and appear to belong. I would often give up and feel profoundly alone. I knew that I had the solutions and answers if only anyone would listen.
Never giving up despite the challenges and obstacles that we encounter is a characteristic that we can all relate to. Searching for happiness in even the smallest of places. Trees and nature were my constant companions as I went about my mission.
From my first memories, I knew that there was something that set me apart from other kids in my thinking and solutions to problems. I sought friendships and acceptance, but I was aware that there was always something missing.
I knew that I was destined to lead one day and would someday find more clarity and belief in myself. Even in my darkest moments of which there were many, I was well aware that there was a bigger and more fabulous life ahead of me.
I possessed a sense of certainty that any flaws in my thinking and behaviors would improve and be mastered in time. This helped me navigate the hazardous landscape of my childhood with quiet acts of rebellion and exploration. I wanted to grow up as fast as possible and I was in a hurry to get out and go somewhere. Anywhere worked just as long as I could keep moving and spread my wings.
The world of my Southern conservative upbringing was more suited to someone who was able to submit and conform to their hypocritical and rigid rules. How well I know myself and understand the impossibility of absolute obedience and compliance. I knew that my authenticity that I’d so long held close and privately was the answer to life’s questions. Still touched by fears that would never be realized. Always secure in my belief that marginalizing and feeling superior to others is abhorrent and stupefyingly foolish.
I yearned to travel and see the world. I wanted to experience more than my insular suburban upbringing. Always dreaming of faraway places that I would explore, learn about myself, and create happiness. If there’s one lesson here to remember, adventure is the key to happiness and self-discovery. Opportunities that we might regret are never replaceable or replicable.
My life was a contradiction of hope and dreams disabled by the walls and barriers to my authenticity. Finely crafted defenses that I had created to avoid the truths of my childhood and identity. There were secrets that I was terrified of sharing and stayed in the shadows. Life as I believed in was yet still to happen.
It's so easy to feel lost, disconnected, and devalued when we allow ourselves to be trapped in a mindset of obedience and futility. So many thousands go through their lives forgetting that they have a right to participate in their destiny and make changes in our lives and communities. The truth is that we have the right to create lives that are happier and purposeful. We are the drivers of our destiny and have the ability to live in a place of internal happiness and personal fulfillment.
CHANGE IS OMNIPOTENT
If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the last few years is that life can become desperate, humbling, and chaotic in the blink of an eye. Rapid change is found in everything we’ve ever known or seen, and humans are constantly testing new behaviors and methods of expression. Continuously rediscovering ways of doing things that come from customs long forgotten.
A world where we are digitized and enumerated as cogs in the system. We have tuned out of our spirit’s connection to the universe and live in an illogical reality where we allow others to create and manipulate our choices and opportunities. An insidious erosion of our innate rights and personal responsibilities. The only bad choice in this situation is the one that we allowed to happen.
We’ve permitted ourselves to disregard our inherited and sacred values that have kept us united for generations and allowed ourselves to be divided by fear and manufactured hatred.
A grim place where we are coerced to conform and submit. Never rising to our potential because we’ve forgotten the parts of us that make us unique and special.
Disconnected with the all-knowing energy and spirit of the universe that carries us throughout the journey of our lives. Always there with gentle reminders and messages. So easily ignored in our constant quest to adapt and survive. A breathtaking life decision that will alter our destiny. A realization that we deserve to be happier and the resolve to change the scope and purpose of our intention. A certainty that we’re worth the time and effort. A whole life in front of us with constant growth and improvement. Where we begin to see our lives in focus and greater clarity. A happier way of life that expands as we increase our perspective and empathy.
PRACTICE INTEGRITY AND CLARITY FOLLOWS
When we are struggling and faced with mounting challenges life can feel overwhelming and fears arise. This might cause us to go into a sort of emotional shutdown where we begin to care less about the consequences of our actions and behaviors and cause our lives to sink further. A point where we stop being honest with ourselves and ignore the self-harm that we’re compounding for ourselves.
This is a time when we can dig deep and ask ourselves if we deserve more and find a means to rise and regain control of our emotions and minds. They are all self-created and cause too much suffering and drama. We are better than we think we deserve. Clarity and the ability to see ourselves with love and empathy are the only way to beat this self-destructive cycle. It just takes one step in the right direction to alter the journey of our lives. Serendipity is a happy outcome when our mindset is focused on happiness and using abilities for the greater good.
STAY GROUNDED AND ALERT
I’ve always felt that the winners and heroes that I admire the most are those that are humble and eager to share the joy of their exploits and awards. The people that we look up to who unite and bring us together. Those that seek to include everyone and care about the greater good. The great warriors who vastly outweigh and overcome those who seek to destroy and divide us.
Anyone who’s ever achieved anything of great importance and value will understand the value of remaining humble and grounded. There’s never a time when someone that we put on a pedestal provides any real value. A greater leader is seen in the herd without any need to shout or make a scene. They lead by example and inspire confidence and trust wherever they go. These are the people whose nature is to step up and help us on our journey. They create happiness in their vibration and intention.
SHARE WISDOM
As The Happiness Warrior, I believe that what matters most in life is that we inspire gratitude and momentum to those around us. All actions matter and each day is an opportunity to be better. How we rise and fall is up to us to determine. Luck plays a hand as much as mindset and determination. Our destiny is fragile and fleeting when we don’t understand the importance of showing up and being counted. Finding our bearings through obstacles and challenges. Steering the way on every step of the great game of life and its adventures. Knowing that all we leave in the end is our good deeds and integrity.
The path that we choose in life is how we define our spirit and intention. It will never be as planned and what’s in store for us depends on our ability to love and forgive ourselves as we move forward on our journey.
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