Would you recognize happiness when it arrives? You might think that’s a funny thing to ask.
Of course, I’d recognize happiness. Of course, I’d recognize when I finally achieve what I wanted. And of course, that would make me feel happy?
Think so? I challenge you to think again!
Just this past week I had a personal experience that shocked me.
For years I have been consciously practicing happiness. I’ve been well aware that happiness is an “inside job”. So even when things in my outer world weren’t quite right, I’d practice deliberately happiness. I’d look for people, experiences, moments and physical things that I could appreciate. I’d look for what satisfied and delighted me. I’d look for what in my life was pleasing.
But That’s Not How I Was Raised
I was raised to chase after happiness; as if were something outside myself. I was raised to think that when I wasn’t feeling happy the appropriate reaction was resentment, anger, and worry. In fact, I was raised to blame any unhappiness on something “out there” or to look to a failing on my part. Ouch! Can any of you relate?
When I realized that I was practicing the exact opposite of what I wanted, dissatisfaction, I knew I had to change. That’s what finally prompted my deliberate happiness practice.
It was a huge relief to realize that I control my experience of happiness. Because happiness wasn’t separate, it lived quietly within me. I had access anytime. True, it took awareness, attention, deliberate focus, and practice. But it was worth it.
I practiced connecting to happiness on a daily basis. I practiced connecting to satisfaction on a daily basis. And my experience of life changed. There was more to enjoy. There was more to appreciate.
Practicing Happiness Is a Great Way to Begin Any Manifestation But What Happens When We Get What We Want?
As a teacher and guide for others in manifesting what they want, I know that we get what we want by:
- Making a choice to have it
- Vibrating at the energy of what we think that thing will give us
- Removing all obstacles to receiving it
I work with my clients and students to help them practice now, what they really want, the quality beneath the physical thing.
Very often what they want is happiness.
If I want a home because I think it will bring me happiness, one of the best things I can do for myself (and for the goal) is to practice happiness now.
Allowing myself to have what I want, creates a powerful magnet for more. And practicing what I want, happiness, helps me keep what I want when I receive it.
So imagine my surprise recently when I found myself feeling more and more uncomfortable and stressed even though what is going on in my life is exactly what I’ve wanted!
We Don’t Always Recognize Our Dream’s Arrival
I was so caught up in the whirlwind of several of the very things I’ve been working toward arriving. I lost track a bit, in the keeping up with the tasks and deadlines.
But my body recognized the change; from what I was and what I had, to who I was becoming and what my business was becoming.
And my old friend, Resistance kicked in. In an attempt to restore the old status quo, my system was being flooded with anxiety and nervousness. Both of these are just versions of fear.
I was in no physical danger. My system was just worried about the change.
It Took a Dramatic Emotional Reaction to Get My Attention
I had been taking steps to offset the anxiousness; getting plenty of rest, taking breaks, meditating.
But when I stepped out of the shower and simultaneously began to cry, then laugh, yawn and sneeze; it woke me up. Clearly, something unusual was going on. My body just had no idea how exactly to process it. Too much was going on, all at once.
I stopped, connected in, and “saw” that what I wanted in my business, what I’d wanted for some time, was in the process of unfolding.
I was getting what I wanted, is ways that were even better, and even faster. And isn’t that what we all say we want; we want it big and fast and now?
No wonder my body didn’t know how to process it. Realizing this made me want to laugh…and cry. I didn’t have to understand the reasons. I just had the choice to allow the process to continue to unfold, take good care of myself, or shut things down because it was new and new feels scary.
As I sat quietly with all of this, again, I had to smile. I assumed that when I got what I wanted, it would make me excited, happy, satisfied.
But instead, I was so uncomfortable my body was trying to offload the discomfort with a variety of expressions.
Misinterpreting what I was experiencing could have had some serious side effects. If I had not realized that what I was experiencing was actually exactly what I had intended, the discomfort might have shut it all down.
This then can be the biggest mistake we make on the way to making a change. When we don’t correctly assess what we are experiencing and what it points to, we run the risk of undoing all our efforts to create.
I don’t want that to happen to you.
Here Are A Few Things You Can Do
Practice awareness of the emotions and sensations you experience. What do they point to?
Are your intentions out of alignment with your actions; with what you truly want?
Practice the quality you think any goal will bring you; freedom, happiness, success. Practice now as a magnet for what you want. Practice now so when you get what you want, you’ll be conditioned and more likely to keep the change.
Be on the lookout for the true harbingers of change; emotions and sensations that point to discomfort. Especially if you have some big goals, you’re more likely to feel uncomfortable at the newness if you are on the right track than feelings of comfort.
I wrote this for those of you who are on the path of change and growth. Because feelings aren’t always what they seem. I hope you’ve found this helpful.