We've heard, "Life is as good as we make it," but this sounds far too simplistic. We look at friends, family, and co-workers and often see much unhappiness. If it's up to us to make life good, why do so few take advantage of the opportunity?
It's not that we don't want happiness. All of us do. But many of us mistakenly think happiness comes from outside ourselves. For example, when other people shower us with love, we're happy. When the boss compliments our work, we're happy. On the other hand, relying on our inner wisdom to tell us we're worthy and believing we are worthy are untapped skills for most of us. Fortunately, we are in the right place to acquire these skills.
Twelve Step programs will teach us, if we are ready to take responsibility for our own happiness. Our program friends are learning how to rely on their inner wisdom and their God, and we are learning from their example.
It's really only a simple change in perspective. It's looking within, not without, for knowledge of our worth. There's no mystery to it. We can do it just as they are doing it.
I will monitor how I evaluate my experiences today. Living peacefully and happily is up to me.
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
I remember seeing a magnet with Buddha on it a few years ago that said: "Peace comes from within." I also remember thinking it was total bullshit. I respected the notion, but was trained at the time to believe that you could only find peace in a hot relationship, a cool job, lots of money, and friends who liked to have fun. Those are the messages that I received growing up and so the idea of someone sitting on a rock in the outdoors and finding peace and happiness in solitude seemed cute but absurd. I think sometimes that one of the greatest gifts I have ever received is the understanding that this is actually true, and that all that other stuff is meaningless if we don't have peace and contentment in our hearts. In fact, all of that other stuff can lead us into even more suffering very easily when we start living terrified that we are going to lose it and either cling or obsessively try to acquire more. Not my original thought, but one I love. Anyway, great share and a message that I wish I would have been able to internalize earlier in my life. I think some days AA has given me the gift of feeling lucky just to wake up.
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When every situation which life can offer is turned to the profit of spiritual growth, no situation can really be a bad one.-Paul Brunton
