Today's Meditation:

It's kind of sad to see how many people think that happiness is somewhere "out there," that situations and circumstances have to end up being just right in order for them to be happy.  By thinking of happiness as something outside of themselves and something that is the result of outside forces, they're simply robbing themselves of many moments, hours, even days or weeks of happy living.  And while most of us would define "happiness" somewhat differently from each other, we still all strive to be happy--and suffer somewhat when we aren't.

If we think that there's some sort of key that will open a door to happiness--more money, a better job, just the right partner, less stress--then we're putting the possibility of being happy outside of ourselves and delaying the possibility of happiness in our own lives.  It comes only from inside of ourselves, in our ability to love and cherish and accept life and others.  It comes in our ability to give and to share, to appreciate and to recognize the abundance that already is ours.  It comes when we stop trying to control other people and their situations.  It comes when we stop waiting for the key and dare to turn to face the door ourselves.

It can be very surprising to find that it's unlocked--and not just unlocked, but wide open, just waiting for us to step through.  And it's right there, right now.  And the only condition necessary for us to pass through that door to experience our happiness is our willing to take that first step, to move on to a different level of experiencing our lives.

So what are we waiting for?

Questions to consider:

How often do we feel that happiness is the result of outside conditions?  Why do we tend to feel this way?

Why do we often ignore open doors?

Why might people so often seem to want to avoid being happy?

For further thought:

Men and women are rushing hither and thither in the blind search for happiness, and cannot find it; nor ever will until they recognize that happiness is already within them and round them, filling the universe, and that they, in their selfish searching, are shutting themselves out from it.

James Allen

Today's quotation:

There is no key to happiness - the door is always open.

unattributed

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