WE CAN ALL BE HAPPINESS WARRIORS
- Written by Eric North aka “The Happiness Warrior”
A few years ago, I began a conscious journey to expand my experiences, rediscover my purpose, and purposely live in the present. For many years I had worked long, hard hours managing my businesses and had lost touch with my authentic self and knew there was more to life. I was competent at accomplishing big things, had paid my dues, but I was ready to do something new. I felt a renewed sense of intention and I believed that I could make my life have much more impact on the world around me.
On the journey, I began to open my life up to learning, experiences, and wisdom. During that time, I thought a lot about my place in the world, my privileges, innate gifts, and how I could use them to better serve others. People have always shared their dreams and aspirations with me, and I was there to encourage and help them connect with their purpose and find their light. It turned out that I was good at helping people create change needed to find their motivation and feel good about themselves. My life and my stories became magical beyond my dreams.
As the Happiness Warrior, I believe we’re happiest when we serve and help others. This feeling is always present and helps me to continuously feel a renewed sense of purpose. It feels good to know that we’re helping others and the one thing I knew for sure; helping others find their own inner Happiness Warrior and experience deeper feelings of gratitude and joy was my passion and my purpose!
When the pandemic came along, I knew it was time to begin the next stage in my journey. The world around me was in trouble and there was no time to waste. I worked hard to save and reinvent both of my businesses. I learned to adapt and understand our infinite need for change. I set time aside each day to make videos with messages of strength and self-empowerment. I began writing to share my thoughts on being happier and giving life more value. I became a motivational speaker to help the world at large. I wasn’t quite sure where to start and hired a publicist to help me to help me take action and make it happen. Our first conversation was long and animated with excitement and purpose. He and I decided that I would become “The Happiness Warrior”.
I’ve always felt an innate need to set things right. If I see someone or something struggling, my nature is to help. I want them to feel good about themselves and their abilities but most importantly to find the best solution to their challenges. This has helped me navigate 2020 with much more clarity and by using my natural Warrior Mindset to serve the greater good. As the Happiness Warrior, I’ve discovered a place beyond my own needs which has helped me figure out how I can make a difference and help others thrive in this rapidly changing and sometimes hostile world. A world where unhappiness is all too normalized. One thing was clear in my mind, the world needs more Happiness Warriors!
This year we’ve all experienced major life changes and I believe that my Happiness Warrior mindset can serve as a gateway to better lives for us all. I’ve built my business career around the philosophy that my work helps people to live happier and healthier lives. We can always earn a living when we do the right thing. Our choices define us and reveal our truth. I know that the stronger my moral compass the happier I am. Adversity and crises are tools to teach us lessons that make us stronger and ready for anything. All of us will have hard moments in life, but if we persevere with positive intention, a good outcome will always prevail. When we allow more happiness into our lives, we can create a “Ready for Anything” mindset for life with a higher sense of purpose and empowerment.
As an advocate for happiness-building, I feel that my shared happiness plays a role in every action in my life, whether it’s personal, such as expanding our experience or taking care of our physical bodies, or helping others learn to be happy and feel good about themselves. Science tells us that happy people create other happy people. Happy people show us an alternative, more attractive, and optimal way of living.
The first step (and often the hardest) is giving ourselves permission to be happy and forgiving ourselves for the past. Remember that we have hurt others, and not just ourselves, and we must work towards the closure of emotional wounds. I start each day with an affirmation by saying, “It’s going to be a great day.” Most often, I will say my name as well and give it a bit more power. It’s amazing what this can do for anyone at any age.
Daily disciplines and mindfulness are a huge part of the Happiness Warrior mindset. It grows stronger when we learn to listen and accept what we need to be happy and thrive.
For me, it means following these 5 Happiness Warrior Core Values:
1. Treat your Body as if your life depends on it.
2. Be conscious in all Actions. Think before you react.
3. Practice Self Awareness.
4. Have a “Ready for Anything” mindset.
5. Seek Clarity in all actions.
These values are deeply ingrained in me and provide the personal discipline I need to be happier, kinder, more productive and increase my gratitude for everything that makes me who I am. This helps keep me attuned with my core values to increase my gratitude, sense of accomplishment, meaning and happiness with life.
One quick way to get to a happier place is to think of three things that give you joy. It could be a favorite book, a tree in your yard or the park, your dog or cat, your son, daughter, niece or nephew. Expressing gratitude is key. Start thinking about ways to make yourself happier. Happiness is perception—I choose how I see the world and I see a world where happiness is always with us.
I have a non-negotiable approach to starting each day with a life-affirming three-part morning routine:
Affirmation: Every morning upon waking up I say aloud “it’s going to be a great day!” without any hesitation, knowing that I have the power to create a great day ahead is all I need to know. Everyone I know who’s done this themselves has told me how valuable it’s been in their lives and how much happier and excited they are to wake up every day!
Hydration: The first step in the day is caring for my physical self and showing my body that I love and care for it by replenishing my organs and increasing blood flow.
Activation: This is when I start reconnecting my body with my mind, starting with a deep squat and deep breathing, more breathing and working through a simple stretching routine along with 100 pushups.
For those seeking meaning in our lives, the way I choose to perceive the world has taught me a lesson. Happiness gives life more meaning, and meaning gives me an intuitive sense of purpose and feeling of contributing to something greater than myself. Once I understood the connection between happiness and purpose, I became more grateful, smiled a lot more, and expanded my life experience.
Everyone can learn to be happy but not everyone knows how or where to start. The first thing is to learn to be comfortable with ourselves and dream about the life that we want. Most importantly we need to give ourselves permission to be happy! Once we give ourselves that approval, our happiness will be expansive, and we’ll share our happiness with everyone around us.The pursuit of money rarely brings us happiness. Happiness comes from mindfulness and gratitude about life.
Things to do to be happy right now:
1. Think of three things that make you happy and say them out loud.
2. Take five mins to do something nice for someone. This tends to become a healthy habit. “Pay it forward” is a generous and happy thing to do.
3. Send a quick thank you to someone in your life or let them know you’re thinking about them.
4. Indulge in an activity that you take pleasure in and let go of your ego. Enjoy just being.
5. Remember empathy is learned and grows with use.
6. Practice mindful meditation and breathing exercises (easy to learn). Learn to stretch or get a professional stretching session. A flexible body is a flexible mind!
Becoming the Happiness Warrior has been the most incredible life-affirming thing that I’ve ever done. It’s given me a renewed sense of purpose, redefined my mission, and made me a better man. I’m more conscious of my words and actions than ever before and the power of my spirit. It’s brought down my remaining walls and made me happier than I’ve ever been before.
Life isn’t easy every day, but when we learn to be happy, our thoughts will change, the way we think will brighten, and we’ll feel more optimism and hope in everything we do. Happiness is more than a state of mind and I believe it can become a way of life.
As the Happiness Warrior, my mission is to help people feel and experience what happiness really is. We can all experience the power of happiness and continue to share our happiness together.
The world needs a better perspective and a world with more happiness and happier people will make all the difference. We can all be Happiness Warriors and create the world we dream about!
