.jpg)
Barbara Berger
With all the crazy, unbelievable stuff that’s going on in the world at this moment, is it possible to be happy, right here, right now? Is it? Well first of all, it might help if we didn’t watch the news all the time or check our smartphones every other minute. And I don’t mean we shouldn’t be informed and shouldn’t take positive action and help and contribute when and where we can. Yes of course we can and should do our utmost to help and comfort wherever we are in the world.
But besides that, if we look at reality, in other words, if we look at what’s going on in front of our noses, regardless of what’s going on out there in the world, there’s still you and me and there is still this now moment. Which is very interesting to note even if it is so obvious that most of us overlook this simple fact. That yes, there is still this now moment. Which means that the natural intelligence of Life itself is still here, regardless of what’s going on in the world. The natural intelligence of Life, the natural intelligence of the truth of beingness is still here.
And this means if we sit back and watch this Life unfolding before our eyes, we will discover that this Life seems to know exactly what to do all the time. That this Life, this natural intelligence is just moving along quietly and regulating itself, too. And if you notice, you will see that it is always seeking its own balance and always readjusting itself until at some point it can no longer maintain life in a particular form or body anymore and then when that happens, that form or body just falls away and life goes on taking on other forms and other bodies. And these new bodies and forms are ever arising and passing away, always seeking balance and harmony.
Reality check
So what does this mean for us and our ability to be happy right now? Well let’s just stop for a moment and do a reality check. Where are you right now? Are you fully present, right here, reading this? Or are you just partially here, while the rest of you is off shadowboxing with illusions?
Now that I’ve got your attention, see if you can see what is here now—with no story for a moment or two. Just see. Just see you are here now. Sitting and reading this. The reality of this moment. Can you relax and stay with this, with yourself, for a couple of minutes without pursuing the thoughts that are naturally arising? Without getting absorbed in your stories? Because yes, thoughts do arise because that is the nature of mind. But the question is can you allow these thoughts to arise and pass naturally… without following them, without identifying with them, and without getting so absorbed or lost in them? In other words, can you let the thoughts come and go while you just sit with yourself and breathe and allow yourself to be fully present in this now moment?
If you find this difficult to do (and often it is), it can help to imagine that you are a mountain. Just sitting here, and the thoughts that are naturally arising in your mind are like small clouds floating by the mountaintop. The mountain, which is you, is not disturbed by the clouds, nor does the mountain get attached to the clouds, nor does the mountain do anything to get rid of the clouds. The mountain just sits and clouds just float by. And that’s about it. Mountain and clouds. It’s a nice way of anchoring yourself in this now moment.
So give it a try. Try being like a mountain and just sit…and let your thoughts naturally arise and float by.
If you practice doing this for a while you will discover that if there’s no story about what happened before and no anticipation of what’s coming, what is left? What is left when there’s no story?
Now you see it, don’t you? The utterly simple, entirely blissful, perfectly peaceful, and completely safe present moment! The now and you in all its glory! And this feels good, doesn’t it? Even if you can’t stay in this space for very long without some practice, still it feels tremendously safe and excellent, doesn’t it?
So I ask you: If this isn’t happiness, what is?
Happiness is the now
One of the things we discover when we are mindful is that happiness is now – that happiness is, in fact, the now. What else and where else could it be?
And we also discover that if this is true, it means that happiness now is our true nature. How do I arrive at this startling conclusion? It’s simple. By looking at the present moment. By seeing and being in the present moment. And when we do this, we discover two things. First of all we discover that we are the now. Why is this so? Well it has to be. Just ask yourself – what is the now? The now is not only where we are, it is also what we are. The now is you and me… it has to be. What else could the now be, but us? Think about it. Without us, there would be no now!
So let this sink in for a moment. You are the now. I am the now. We are the now.
The second thing we find out is that when we are mindful and fully present, the experience of the now is utterly simple, entirely blissful, perfectly peaceful, and completely safe. Which is a pretty good definition of happiness isn’t it!
Now this is a very important discovery because it means – despite what we may think at the moment and despite what is going on around us in the world – we cannot do anything to make ourselves happy or unhappy because we are already happiness itself. Happiness is our nature – because we are the now! And the now is utterly simple, entirely blissful, perfectly peaceful and completely safe. And the now is always where we are at.
When I contemplate this, I can come to no other conclusion than that you and I, the now and happiness are all one and the same! They are equal, identical and interchangeable – or all one – however we want to look at it. This I find is a pretty amazing discovery. To realize that this is who/what we are – and that happiness is our true nature. The icing on the cake is that there’s only one place we can experience the happiness that we are – and that’s right here now.
Unconditional happiness
Of course, the happiness I am talking about now is true happiness of course, the happiness that is totally independent of outer conditions, circumstances or events. You can call this happiness – unconditional happiness. This is the type of happiness that no job, no amount of money in our bank accounts, no lovers, no gurus, no success or amount of fame can bring us. When we are happy because of outside circumstances, conditions or events – our happiness is conditional and based on outer events, value judgments, belief systems, and stories. Not that there is anything wrong with conditional happiness, but it is important to realize that when our happiness is conditional, sooner or later it will disappear because it is dependent on and triggered by external events and circumstances which will and do change.
The happiness we experience in the present moment when we are mindful, is our true nature. It’s unconditional because it depends on no one or thing. It’s who we are.
For more about all this amazing discovery, see my book “Are You Happy Now? 10 Ways to Live a Happy Life”.
May you experience the unconditional happiness of you!
Blessings to you on this day!
_____
About Barbara Berger
American-born Barbara Berger is the best-selling author of “The Road to Power – Fast Food for the Soul” (published in 30 languages), “Are You Happy Now? 10 Ways to Live a Happy Life” (published in 21 languages) and “The Awakening Human Being – A Guide to the Power of Mind”. Barbara's latest book is "Find and Follow Your Inner Compass – Instant Guidance in an Age of Information Overload". Barbara also works as coach and therapist, helping people around the globe come into alignment with their own true power. For more about Barbara see her Web site: http://www.beamteam.com
** Below are titles & links to the beautiful work from Barbara. She is a long time contributor and my
dear friend :
mysticlivingtoday.com – articles by Barbara Berger
The Ultimate Self-Empowerment Tool – Your Inner Compass
http://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2087
The Key to Happiness; Understanding the Way the Mind Works
http://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2113
Who would you be if you didn’t know your age?
http://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2147
The Power of Right Seeing
http://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2177
Review of Barbara Berger’s book Find and Follow Your Inner Compass by Riki Frahmann
http://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2184
Are You Here Now? Are You Happy Now?
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2247
Discovering Who You Really Are
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2284
Getting in Touch with Your Heart
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2299
Follow Your Passion & Accept the Consequences
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2324
The Power of the Joyful Giver
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2359
You have nothing to deal with but your own thoughts
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2374
Radio show
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/starzcast/2018/09/26/natalie-interviews-barbara-berger--author-on-self-empowerment
Peace Is Your Nature
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2398
The Power of Contemplating Love
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2423
How Can We Serve?
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2452
The Importance of Mind Management
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2472
Focus on the Real – A Way of Dealing with Worry and Catastrophic Thinking
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2499
Nothing External Can Disturb Us
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2527
Just Let Everything Be!
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2548
The Gift of Crisis
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2563
The Power of Asking for Help
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2592&fbclid=IwAR1ZK91thdusdkQTdqu0fHXgarR7Ghv7rmAjR6NypUUfLh2wv1ozLLi-HjU
What does it mean to be psychologically mature?
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2625
The Meaning of Life
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2644
The Power of Praise & Blessing
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2682
Our Unalienable Rights
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2712
Meeting the Family & Keeping Your Peace of Mind
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2737
Healthy Boundaries – the Secret of Good Relationships
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2758
Healthy Parenting
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2777
Wanting What You Have
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2801
NOW IS THE TIME TO THINK POSITIVE
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2813
A Scientific Prayer to Lift Your Consciousness
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2828
Healthy Self Talk about the Body
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2850
Time Are Changing Aren’t They?
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2881
Are You Following Your Inner Compass?
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2904
What Happens When We Don't Listen to Our Inner Compass?
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2920
Your Right to Be You
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2961
Doing the Right Thing
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2992
Seeing Behind Impermanence
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3026
Opening Your Heart – A Prayer for the New Year
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3051
Welcome to the World of Starbrow and His Amazing Spiritual Adventures
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3050
Use This Simple, Effective Right Reaction Exercise to Tackle Stressful Moments
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3084
No Healing Without Feeling
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3102
Happiness Is an Inside Job
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3131
The Power of Joy and Laughter
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3158
Watch Out for Black and White Thinking!
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3173
The Power of Eating Less
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3217
Good Ways to Say No and Set Limits
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3242
Higher Consciousness and the Power of Nature
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3259
Gratitude for the Gift of Life
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3284
Do Not Be Bluffed by Your Body
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3297
What Is Spiritual Bypass?
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3329
The Intention of Oneness
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3358
The Importance of Having a Daily Program
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3381
What Is Preventing You From Being Happy?
https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3417
