Written by: Liliane Roux, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Since our early childhood, many of us have been instilled with the idea of pursuing happiness, fulfillment, and approval from external sources. From a young age, we tend to associate happiness with our achievements, roles, titles, and possessions, a phenomenon often referred to as "happiness for a reason."
We express our happiness by attributing it to external factors, saying things like, "I'm happy because of my family and friends. I'm happy because I received a promotion. I'm happy because I'm going on vacation," and so forth.
This approach comes with several inherent problems.
Firstly, no matter the level of status, power, wealth, or material possessions, they cannot fully fulfill our profound yearning for inner peace.
Secondly, even if momentary satisfaction is derived from these external sources, such pleasure is likely to diminish over time, leading to feelings of sadness and disappointment.
In contrast, the second form of happiness, which is genuine joy, is an internal state of awareness that allows us to experience happiness without any specific reason. It remains unaffected by the circumstances, events, people, or possessions in our lives.
This joy arises from the understanding that our authentic self is not defined by our body, thoughts, emotions, personality, achievements, relationships, or any other temporal experiences. Our genuine self is pure, boundless consciousness, often referred to as the field of all possibilities. Within this realm lie attributes such as happiness, love, timelessness, compassion, creativity, wisdom, silence, and grace.
The practices of Ayurveda, encompassing meditation and yoga, serve as tools to connect with the field of consciousness and the inherent happiness within us.
Reconnecting with this source of happiness has the potential to alleviate the burden of past traumas and negative emotional experiences. It enables us to view our past with a fresh perspective, facilitating the integration of experiences, healing, and ultimately thriving.
Associating our identity and happiness with relationships, work, achievements, possessions, personality, and our physical body is referred to as object referral. This implies that our identification is linked to external objects. Since these objects are inherently transient, continually changing, anchoring our identity to them prevents us from realising our true, boundless self.
While we may experience happiness when external circumstances align favorably, there persists an underlying sense of instability or insecurity. This stems from the awareness that the origin of our positive emotions is susceptible to vanishing at any given moment.
Contrary to object referral, self-referral involves identifying with our inner self—the immutable essence of our soul. It signifies an internal state of well-being that remains unaffected by external circumstances.
As a leader, it can be challenging to maintain Emotional Well-being. What is your REAL source of happiness?
Liliane Roux, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
More than 10 years ago, my personal journey lead me to become first a Personal Trainer and then to embrace Life and Business Coaching. As a Holistic Coach, I believe all the dimensions of our lives (professional, personal & physical) are connected and influence each other. As a Sales Leader, I had to learn how to embrace my entire self (emotions, intuitions, and analytical mind) in order to maintain an overall well-being.
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