Wellness Wednsday: Happiness

This Wellness Wednesday post is from the mind of Jessica, the visionary behind Raw Food Nation:

hap-pi-ness [hap-ee-nis] noun
1.     the quality or state of being happy.
2.     good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy.

What will it take to make you happy? If someone were to ask you right now, “{insert your name here}, I want you to be happy, what will that take?” How would you answer? Would you have an answer? Would it come quickly or would you have to get back to that person later, after carefully thinking about the question.  We are all on individual paths of enlightenment as we unfold the mysteries of this life, as we experience the ups, the downs, and everything in between. But when it comes to happiness, to true bliss and contentment, when it comes to that inner protected light in which no man or thing can extinguish, how do we obtain that?

I was enjoying a warm summer day with a good friend, under a shaded tree laying on a blanket, discussing life, literature and everything in between, when she recommended that I read the book Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I had initially thought this book was about dieting given its location in the bookstore and proximity to other nutrition/lifestyle books. But little did I know that within the pages of this masterpiece was the definition of happiness that agreed with me the most, so clearly articulated and written with good choice of words. I would like to share this definition with you, which to me goes far beyond the dictionary definition above, and makes more sense too.

“…people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you are fortunate enough. But that’s not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don’t, you will leak away your innate contentment. It’s easy enough to pray [to whomever you choose] when you’re in distress; but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments.”

Suddenly the notion of happiness is much more than awaiting for something or someone to fall upon you, directly into your path. And it’s also something that you must not only work to obtain, but also work to keep. Happiness becomes something that you can have in this lifetime, instead of spending a lifetime searching for it, it becomes obtainable and within reach. No longer being a stroke of luck, consider this: your happiness is your responsibility. Just as is your health and wellness, and just as it is your responsibility to rise each morning and carry out your mission on earth. So your daily “to do” list should read something like this: “take shower, prepare lunch, get presentation ready for meeting, work on obtaining/maintaining my happiness….” and so forth and so on.

I close with article with yet another excerpt from the book, on the same page nonetheless, “…all sorrow and trouble of this world is caused by unhappy people… The search for contentment is, therefore, not merely a self-preserving and self-benefiting act, but also a generous gift to the world. Cleaning out all your misery gets you out of the way. You cease being an obstacle, not only to yourself but to anyone else. Only then are you free to serve and enjoy other people… When you set out in the world to help yourself, you inevitably end up helping everyone.”

And it is with these final words that I encourage everyone to get up, go out, and get happy!

After reading this article, feel free to comment below and let us know your personal definition of happiness for your life.

By rawfoodnation Tags: Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert, happiness, happy, health, wellness
Posted in Lifestyle Tips, Wellness Weds | 6 Comments »

6 Responses to “Wellness Wednsday: Happiness”

1. Raw.la - Raw Food in The News and Around The Web says:

   August 19, 2009 at 3:30 am

   [...] Wellness Wednsday: Happiness [...]
2. Samanthia says:

   August 19, 2009 at 3:35 am

   Hi Guys,
   Great article!!
   For me my idea of happiness is to be true to me and others and lay in the sun. Other things that make me happy is to tune into my inner self and meditate and try to acheive a balance within me.
   Thanks and Happiness
   Samanthia

   [Reply]
3. Jerrilynne Atkins says:

   August 21, 2009 at 6:07 pm

   Happiness is a state of mind. Many things can affect or influence it, but ultimately we make a concious decision to be happy. The Bible tells us … “as a man thinks, so he becomes”. Make a conscious effort to think good, positive, happy thoughts. If you have a negative thought … just change your mind! Literally! You are in control of your thinking regardless of what you have been taught to believe. It may take some practice to recondition your thinking, but fearfulness, anxiety and depression can be overcome.

   For me, it was scripture, praying and being thankful for blessings. Releasing fear and anxiety, and learning to trust God in everything.

   Even if you are not a believer, there is an abundance of good practical advice in scripture. Teaching yourself to be thankful (not just for big things, but for all of the many little things each day that people sometimes take for granted) is so beneficial, regardless of your belief system. That’s a good place to start.

   Realizing that you cannot control another person’s words or actions, but you can choose to control what YOU say and how YOU react. Practice being kind, patient and forgiving toward others, especially when they have not been so pleasant to you. It benefits YOU more than it does them to learn to control your temper, and have inner peace regardless of outer circumstances.

   If you are a perfectionist, don’t mentally beat yourself up if you make a mistake, but realize that you and everyone else on the planet are “works in progress”.

   Finally, have fun and enjoy life!

   [Reply]

   

   admin Reply:
   August 30th, 2009 at 3:43 pm

   Great advice! Thank you for sharing!

   [Reply]
4. Wellness Weds: The Dream Team « Raw Food Nation says:

   August 26, 2009 at 4:36 pm

   [...] Wellness Wednsday: Happiness This Wellness Wednesday post is from the mind of Jessica, the visionary behind Raw Food Nation: hap-pi-ness [hap-ee-nis] noun 1.     the q… [...]
5. gunter says:

   October 28, 2009 at 12:27 pm

   Hi Jerrilyn,
   how great that you have integrated raw food into your life! Maybe you can swing by at our rawfood place sometimes, it is a place with loads of raw food happenings. We are right around your corner in AG.
   best,
   Gunter

   [Reply]