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Identify Your True Source of Happiness

As we begin our exploration of happiness, its important to understand how we define whathappiness is. As many Eastern wisdom traditions teach, there are two types of happiness. The first

kind of happiness comes from things turning out the way wed like them to. This is known as

happiness for a reason. We say, Im happy because I have a family and friends, or Im happy

because I got a promotion, or Im happy because Im going on vacation, and so on. This kind of

happiness is inherently fleeting because it depends on external reasons that can be taken away from

us at any time. Although we tend to avoid thinking about it, we can lose our home, our job, oursavings, our health, and our loved ones at any time. These are temporary, external sources ofhappiness that come and go like a passing breeze.

The second type of happiness, in contrast, is an internal state of consciousness that allows us

to be happy for no reason at all. It is independent of the circumstances, events, people, and things inour lives. This happiness comes from the realization that our true self isnt our body, thoughts,

emotions, personality, possessions, accomplishments, relationships, or any other time-bound

attribute. Our essential nature is pure, unbounded consciousness, also known as the field of allpossibilities. The attributes of this field include happiness, love, timelessness, compassion, creativity,

wisdom, silence, and grace.

This series is called Awaken to Happiness because we are focusing on experiencing the

happiness that already exists within us. Just as a radiant sunrise can be hidden behind the clouds, ourinner happiness can become obscured by constricted awareness, limiting thought patterns, and

emotional turmoil. Yet no matter how long we have been lost in fear and limitation, we can learn to

rise above the clouds of conditioning and awaken to the source of happiness within us.Cultivating Your Intentions

Consciously choosing our intentions is the most powerful way to begin any project, journey,

or dream. By becoming clear about what we desire and setting an intention, we are planting a seed inthe fertile garden of pure potentiality. As we nurture that seed while simultaneously releasing any

attachment to the outcome, we come fully into the present moment. We spontaneously take the most

evolutionary actions and experience the expansion of joy, love, and harmony.As you begin theAwaken to Happiness series, give yourself free reign to consider your intention for

the next eight weeks. Your intention can be a simple one. In fact, for the purpose of this exploration,simple is probably best. Here are a few ideas:

My intention is to . . .

Open my heart to happiness.

Follow my joy.

Be happy for no reason at all.Awaken to love and happiness.

Live with a light heart and spirit.

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