To Be Happy Or Not To Be Happy* Your decision

Once in a blue Moon* Photo by Mark T. Workman Copyright

WE have all heard of Unconditional Love. How about Unconditional Happiness?

How many of us are really “unconditionally” happy? Just as unconditional love is not dependent on circumstances, neither is unconditional happiness. What does unconditional happiness even look like?

Can you say .. I am happy even in the midst of “less than desirable” events occurring in my life?

In his book, The Untethered Soul, Michael A. Singer explains in the chapter called The Path of Unconditional Happiness, that we have a choice in this life, and its to decide whether we want to be happy or not. Its not about your job, your love life, or whether you have great finances. You make one basic, underlying decision: Do you want to be happy, or do you not want to be happy? Its simple. You are being asked to give an unconditional answer. No matter what happens to you, can you remain happy? Once you make the choice, your path through life becomes totally clear.

He explains that most people don't dare give themselves that choice because they think it's not under their control. For example, someone might say, I want to be happy but I got let go from my job. Or, I want to be happy but my spouse left me. Or, I want to be happy but I need more money in order to feel that way. So they want to be happy but don't think they can be if they lose a job or a partner. The reality is that if you say Yes, I want to be happy, then external circumstances do not have to determine your state of happiness. If you allow events that you have no control over to determine your happiness, then you are saying I want to be happy and I have a deep seated set of preferences that determine it. Switch your thinking to simply “I want to be Happy” and stay happy no matter what challenges life throws you.

Interestingly enough, once you make the decision to remain unconditionally happy, life will test that commitment. Something will happen that challenges you. According to Singer, this test of your commitment is exactly what stimulates spiritual growth. This unconditional aspect of your commitment makes this the highest path. You decide whether or not to break your vow. When everything is going well in your life, its easy to be happy. When difficulty enters the picture, its not so easy. “ I didn't know the battery would die on me, or I didn't know I'd miss my flight, or I didn't know somebody would dent my new car”. Things will happen. The question, he says, is whether you want to be happy regardless of what happens. Events don't determine whether or not we're going to be happy unless you let them. You determine whether or not you're going to be happy. You can be happy just to be alive. We can choose happiness no matter what happens. I suppose he would say, sure, be sad for a pet that's sick or even dies, but do not live there. The purpose of your life is to enjoy and learn from your experiences. You were not put on Earth to suffer. You can be happy while still having all these things happen to you. If you live this way, your heart will be so open and your Spirit will be so free, you will walk the highest spiritual path in this life. If you want to be happy, let go of the part of you that wants to create melodrama. This is the part of you that thinks there's a reason not to be happy. Once you transcend this you will awaken to the higher aspects of your being. Committing yourself to unconditional happiness will teach you every single thing there is to learn about yourself, about others, and about the nature of life. Every time a part of you begins to get unhappy, let it go. Use affirmations. Meditate. Pray. Whatever you need to stay open. If you look within, you will see that when you are happy, your heart is open, and energy rushes up inside of you. When you aren't happy, your heart feels closed and no energy comes up inside. You get to choose how energy comes in and leaves your body. An open heart vs a closed heart. You choose.

I do believe we create disease in our bodies when we are closed. Dis-ease is the opposite of ease. When we are not in a state of “allowing” life to happen, when we try to fight the allowing, our bodies manifest that dis-ease and we get sick. Illness is our body's way of letting us know we are closed and energy is trapped within. We are energy beings having a human experience.

Do you have anyone in your life that you know remains happy even when life throws them a curve ball, regardless of what happens? Perhaps you are that person. What a blessing!

Many thanks to Michael A. Singer for writing The Untethered Soul. If you enjoyed this post and want to have a "journey beyond yourself", & learn more about the nature of consciousness, then this book is for you.