The dictionary describes happiness as “a state of well-being characterised by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy…”

This is what I believe Heaven to be – living in a state of intense joy every day. I once read “Hell is the experience of the worst possible outcome of your choices, decisions and creations.” If that is true, then Heaven must be the experience of the best possible outcome of your choices, decisions and creations!

Happiness isn’t something that happens to us. It’s not an event. It’s a state of mind… of being. Happiness is what we choose… every day. It’s the result of our good choices, decisions and creations.

As long as you believe that there is someone or something out there “doing it” to you, you dis-empower yourself to do anything about it. We “do it” to ourselves. We trip ourselves up every day and we look around for the culprit, because there has to be someone out there doing it to us. It would have been easier if there were, because then we could ‘shoo” them away and be happy…

I spent eight years of my eighteen-year marriage being emotionally and economically abused. I blamed my ex-husband for everything. It wasn’t until I accepted responsibility for myself that my life changed. I created the years of pain for myself and my son by choosing to stay, rather than leave and start a new life. I believed that I wouldn’t make it “out there”. Happiness and financial abundance was something that happened to others. It never happened to me. In my mind’s eye, I saw myself struggling financially and living in poverty.

I started searching for answers – reading every self-help book I could lay my hands on. Then I read Gary Sukav’s, The Seat of The Soul. It was the most powerful awakening for me. For the first time, I acknowledged myself for who I am and I realised that I truly wanted to - and needed to - live an authentic life. I fully understood that I have choices - and that happiness was one of them. My healing started with that realisation, so I wrote down what I wanted from life and set goals to achieve it. The first step to my happiness and fulfilment was to educate myself. I was very scared. It had been years since I last opened a book. I took the plunge and enrolled at university and found a job that would support my studies in order to gain the experience I needed. It was hard, but these were my choices and I wanted it… badly!

Happiness is a choice! When I ‘got’ that, I realised that I was in control of my own life. I have the power to decide what state of mind and being I wanted - and I have the power to create it. It was one of the ‘wow!’ moments of my life. On some level, we create all our own experiences! The fact is that when we make the wrong decisions and choices we have the power to re-create! For the first time in my life I really felt empowered! - I can choose what I wish to experience!

Gary Zukav wrote “When we align our thoughts, emotions and actions with the highest part of ourselves, we are filled with enthusiasm, purpose and meaning. Life is rich and full. We have no thoughts of bitterness. We have no memory of fear. We are joyous and intimately engaged with our world. This is the experience of authentic power.”

Your journey towards authenticity will affect everyone around you. As you increase the energy (frequency) of your consciousness, you start reflecting love, acceptance, humbleness and forgiveness. The result of that is happiness and joy beyond description. More and more people will be affected by your authentic power, because you will draw them to you.

All you need to draw happiness into your life is the intention to make it so!

Your attitude always reflects your intentions. If you are angry, resentful or filled with fear, your intention will be to keep people away from you. If you want warmth and companionship but your unconscious intention is to keep people away from you, the experience of pain will resurface again and again until you realise that you are creating it. If your intention is to have love and happiness in your life, you will draw people to you. Your intention creates the reality that you will experience. (Read my article on The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy at www.successfactory.co.za to understand the dynamics of intent and focus).

Mind the way you communicate with others. Speak from your authentic self and decide to resolve issues amicably. There is a lot of mutual imitation in everyday communication (I raise my voice then you raise your voice, etc). When we adopt a more compassionate and respectful attitude toward others, we invite and influence others to do the same toward us.

Show gratitude in every possible way that you can.

Happiness is your birthright.

By Elsabé Manning

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