Many people ask me, “WHY are you happy all the time?”
“HOW can you be so consistently happy?”
The simple answer is that I wake up in the morning, decide to be happy, and enjoy the day.
It’s as simple as a decision.
That’s easy for me now because it’s something I’ve practised.
It’s like doing a 24-hour marathon walk.
When doing a marathon walk, I train all year.
So whilst I say it’s simple, it takes work.
One of the reasons people struggle to be happy is because they hold onto the past.
They don’t let it go.
So, for example, if someone hurts their feelings, they hold onto it.
I just recently heard this story.
Two Buddhist monks are walking along.
Buddhist monks are prohibited from touching women.
They came to a river, and they came across a bride dressed in all her wedding finery, looking beautiful.
There was no way to cross the river.
One of the monks just picked her up.
Carried across the river, put her down on the other side.
And they went along their way.
Two hours later, the other monk said to him,
“I can’t believe you’ve picked that woman up.
You touched that woman, picked her up and took her across the river”.
And the first monk said, “I put her down two hours ago. Why are you still holding onto it?”
That’s how things happen.
It didn’t have anything to do with the second monk.
He never touched her.
He’s judging that first monk for what he did; all he did was help somebody.
Let things go.
When something happens, let it go.
Instead of pushing it down inside, let whatever emotion you have pass through.
What happens when we get upset?
Our chest gets tight.
We start breathing more quickly.
We have got to slow these things down.
Relax our stomachs.
Get ourselves in that physiology that allows us to relax.
So how do I do it?
If something does happen, you can feel it coming on physically before you feel it emotionally.
Relax and start to breathe a little bit deeper.
You’ll surprise yourself.
It takes practice.
It won’t happen overnight.
If you want to live a happy life, you have to learn to let things go.
