The Art of Happiness ~ that’s some art form isn’t it. What is it? How do you get it down? What are the secrets to the Art of Happiness?
I don’t profess to speak for anyone but myself, but I have spent my adult life working in the fields of empowering, healing and protecting, and it seems to me that everybody wants the same things ~ to be happy, to be respected and to be safe.
So what is the Art of Happiness, or let’s just say, what is Happiness?
Gratitude, kindness, joy in the simple things, connection, love, an energised body, and living in the moment, all seem like happiness to me. If my list is at all close to the mark for you, the good news is, all of these things can be practiced. I would suggest they are skills, choices if you like.
Take gratitude for example ~ I don’t know who’s reading this, but the fact that you are, obviously means you woke up this morning, you can read, and you have a brain that works! There’s a huge amount to be grateful for right there!
I personally can add, I live surrounded by trees, I wake up to birdsong, I start my day with yoga, I have love in my life, all my limbs and senses work, I can sing, dance, paint (not well, but I can do them), I am connected to nature, I eat well, and I am constantly in awe at the magick and wonder all around me!!! I am positively bursting with the gratitude I feel for that amount of blessings.
If you don’t feel as grateful as you’d like to feel ~ start practicing.
Just as you would if you wanted to be better at guitar, karate, cooking, or alchemy.
- You can start practicing gratitude by saying thank you more often, to: mother earth for the food you have on your table, someone who cooks you a meal or holds a door open for you, the sun giving you warmth and the trees giving you oxygen, and your own self for carrying you around all day long.
- Start a ‘gratitude journal’ and write in it (as often or not as you wish); what you’re grateful for and why you’re grateful for it. Once you put some zest into it, you will find it’s a pretty long list.
- Do stuff for those less fortunate; a pay-it-forward coffee, a dollar for a homeless person, a compliment for someone feeling low, solidarity for someone you know who’s being bullied. There are many opportunities all day long to give a little kindness, and in doing so, you get the reminder-gift of your own blessings.
Finding joy in the little things is something else that is easy to practice.
Every cup of Green Tea, every exchanged smile, every flower you can stop to smell, every lizard you see basking in the sunshine, every butterfly flitting past, they’re all little spots of joy inviting you to pause a spell and savour that delight.
Having a body that feels energised, I believe, is also part of the Art of Happiness.
Appreciating folk have all manner of physical challenges, we each have to work with what we’ve got and keep our body as nourished and vibrant as we can.
So drink clean water and Green Tea. Make natural, plant food the base of your diet. Grow your own sprouts(1), they cost next to nothing and are little powerhouses of dense nutrients. Eat good fats (that will certainly be another blog); olives, coconut oil, nuts and avocadoes. Breathe deeply, sleep soundly(2), and move your body at every opportunity. Inertia is an energy-thief.
I think happiness is more attitude than anything; a commitment to a positive, compassionate, buoyant outlook.
Be spontaneous, laugh often and heartily, dance when you can, and practice kindness every time the opportunity to be kind presents itself ~ and not just to others, kindness starts with self, first!
Wishing you many happy, magickal, funny, fun and energised moments every single day ~ GreenWitch Tea
‘When I was in grade school, they told me to write down what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down happy. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, I told them they didn’t understand life.’ ~ Unknown
4 Comments. Leave new
I have let my happy loose lately. It’s so freeing not to feel inhibited by the old vibes I emanated!. I treasure your example and teachings, and I am absorbing knowledge.
My dreams of better health require action and commitment to myself.
All my stars are lining up!!
Sandra, that is brilliant, and love your expression: ‘I have let my happy loose’! And yes, it is freeing isn’t it. Here’s to your health, your commitment, and to joy every day. Many Blessings to you ~ GreenWitch Tea
I love you and your page and will look for you if you don’t appear. Perhaps fb can be trained, lol.
Thanks Flo, love and blessings to you too… I’m happy that you are here xx