Where Do You Go To Find Your Happy Place?

January 7, 2013 — destination, finding your happy place, happier, happy place, mom, moms, travel

One of my favorite little indulgences on Sunday morning is sitting with a cup of coffee and perusing through the weekly Parade magazine. You know, the one that comes in the paper, chock full of useless celebrity happenings, interesting factoids, a feature story and a recipe or two. Sometimes I even hide in the bathroom and lock the door, in order to escape the demands for cereal or more juice that may threaten my coveted moment of zen.

In a recent New Years issue, five celebrities were asked where they go to find their happy place. I was instantly intrigued. The last couple of years have entailed lots of inner work for this girl, so the quest for “finding the happy place” is top of mind. Some of the answers were expected…”the Caymans” or “the kitchen” or “a spa”. I was especially intrigued by Christy Turlington’s answer. She simply said, “internal”. She looks inside herself. That’s her happy place. Brilliant! The perfect answer.

Internal happiness. It’s portable, eternal and free.

We don’t need external stimuli to make us happy. We don’t need to go outside ourselves to find happiness. It starts inside and radiates outward. Not the other way around.

I don’t know about you, but this is something I’ve really struggled with. We’ve been trained to believe that losing ten pounds or getting that raise or taking that vacation will make us happier. This is nothing more than a belief. If you choose to indulge in this thinking, then it’s true for you. But, in the scheme of life, it’s nothing more than a story we tell ourselves. It’s victim vs. owner mentality. Consider all the lucky (she said flippantly) souls who have won the lottery and are now poorer than they were before they won and certainly not any happier. Gosh! If winning the lottery doesn’t make you happier, then what will?!

The more time I spend with myself (yes, quietly, in my own head–eek!) the more I’m learning to tune in to my inner essence and tune out the voice(s) that affirms the false belief system that paralyzes me and keeps me in victim mode. Keeps me down. Tells me I’m not good enough or worthy or successful enough. I call this voice Neva (translation: never enough). She seeks happiness on the outside.

The challenge is this: turn Neva off and turn Happy on. Then turn the volume way way up and see what happens. Be bold. Sing out loud in a store (Elf). Engage in random dancing (my kids think I’m nuts). Keep a gratitude journal. Smile in the mirror every day for 1 minute. Create something every day. Realize that our happy place is right inside us. The place where it’s always sunny, always open and always free. No special shoes required.

(and you can take it to the Caymans if you’d like to)

Stay sane, my friends.