Ah, happiness. It’s one of life’s holy grails. But how to find it?

The truth is that we often seek happiness, like distant treasure we’re determined to find. Someday, somewhere, off in the hazy future, where the grass is greener, all our wishes and dreams will be fulfilled. Then we’ll “be happy.”

But what do we really need to be happy?

Back when my oldest son first went away to college, I had a realization that has stuck: that my dream for him—and now for all of us–was and is simply the capacity for happiness. As I was letting go of the little guy who had grown into a young man, nothing else I could want for him even came close.

So now, today, what thoughts and feelings come up as you consider these questions:

On a scale of 1 to 10, what’s your capacity for happiness, without conditions?

What, exactly, makes you happy?

How can you live your life to fit that truth?

What’s first, the chicken, or the egg?

Consider what really comes first, my dears:  happiness, or the conditions we think we need to meet to have it? And a bit more truth-telling from me will take us deeper. Continue reading “The How of Happiness: Capacity is the Secret Key”