“Your thoughts and worries hide your happiness, as clouds hide the sun. As the wind blows away clouds, so you can blow away your negative thoughts and worries.”

~ Remez Sasson

You may find this surprising, but happiness is your natural state of consciousness. It’s your true state of being.

Unfortunately, that state of consciousness has been socially and emotionally obscured. Conscious happiness is your birthright and inheritance, but it must be reclaimed in order to be enjoyed.

My claim to this natural state doesn’t come through a university study or an erudite, scientific paper. It comes from a personal journey.

As a child, I was consciously happy. Before my language skills had even kicked in, I was keenly aware of subtle changes in influence and atmosphere. While only a toddler, I was perplexed by others who reacted negatively to external stimuli instead of remaining conscious of their inner self.

People were preoccupied with the words, opinions and estimations of others. They’d respond to them in ways that ran contrary to their own inner peace, happiness and freedom.

Though still too young to appropriate words for what I witnessed, I felt these negative energies: divisiveness, jealousies, the need for pre-eminence, etc.

“Why don’t these people ever ask themselves what their insides are saying?” I wondered. Why are they ignoring reality and opting for a false set of ideas about themselves?

Despite this early mindfulness, it didn’t take long for my own childlike awareness to succumb to mass consciousness and peer pressure. As my own desire to be accepted by others grew I, too, surrendered to the falsities of a contrived self.

Doing so cost me a lot. My whimsical nature, inner vitality and the natural confidence that accompanies being one’s happy, conscious self all suffered.

Many of us are familiar with Jesus’ quote from the Book of Matthew: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

That kingdom of heaven is our true home. It’s a space and place defined by inner peace and a natural happiness. Though we’ve been given a key to this lofty promise, we ignore the wisdom and continue along our human race track.

Becoming like a child again is the true wisdom we need, the advice that points us back to conscious happiness.

In my case, an abject discomfort and the palpable awareness of a dis-spirited state caused me to begin my personal journey. The unraveling process has returned me to simpler ways.

Difficult and sometimes painful, this personal “un-doing” process has been gratefully acquired and adopted. I’ve re-examined much of my thought life and said good-bye to much social conditioning. Like the onion, I’ve removed one mental film after another that was burying my joy, suppressing my exhuberance and blurring my true inclinations.

Remez Sasson’s above quote provides an apt analogy for comparing our true nature to the sun. It’s also a deep one, describing the way we all acquire thoughts and worries like clouds. They hide our conscious happiness and obscure our true identities.

If Remez’ words were heeded, we would ask for help from the wind. Wind moves what is vaporous and impermanent from our mental atmosphere. As clouding thoughts dissipate, we discover again what is permanent, trustworthy and real.

Reminding myself of the sun and its continual brilliance has enabled me to pass through the clouds of temporary darkness. I’ve sometimes considered the sun an emblematic lighthouse, guiding me through stormy seas and providing me with a beacon to a solid land. Rather than focusing on insecurities and fears along my life journey, I’ve favored instead the ever-present light that shows me the way home.

Maybe you’re at a personal point of desperation or are just ready for a return to reality. Perhaps you, too, are feeling disconnected from your true self or have outgrown the vanities and daily dramas of life.

If you’ve been futile in your attempts to find peace, life and happiness by pursuing outer means, I invite you to choose again.

Choose to live happy from the inside out. Recover the simplicity that’s always been with you, but merely awaiting your acknowledgement.

Reclaim your inheritance.

Get reacquainted with your consciously happy self, too!

For further insights and inspiration for connecting with your Consciously Happy self:

A video called The Sun Always Shines.

A podcast called The Sun is Always Shining.

My Huffington Post blog entitled Happiness:Remembering the Sun is Always Shining.

For a mega resource to help you reclaim your inner sunshine and consciously happy self, check out my Foundations of Happiness ecourse.

Maura is an International Speaker on Influence, Leadership and Emotional Intelligence

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