Am I happy? Most of us are brought up believing that our circumstances in life determine whether we are happy or sad. How much power do outer circumstances have in my life? – this question recently got me thinking. So often things that happen to us during the day pull us down, it is certainly a constant battle for most. The spiritual teachings tell us to create an inner life, to realize that we create our own reality depending on the thoughts and energy we express in life.
Art makes us happy:
Creative expression can help us with this. It takes creativity to come out of a mood, to switch our thought patterns, to deal with situations that keep pulling us down, doesn’t it? One can’t expect to keep putting their finger in the fire and hoping it won’t burn, after all! 🙂 As artists of life, if we understand that it is our thoughts and attitude that make our life, and if our consciousness is uplifted everything seems to work out.
With regard to creativity, I love this piece of advice from Swami Kriyananda:
“So many artistic people,” Swamiji explained, “go about it in the wrong way when they think ‘I am going to create a poem, or a song, or a painting.’ I think first of the consciousness I want to express. When I have that clearly in mind, then I ask God to help me express it through whatever medium I am using.”
Creative ways to stay happy during the day:
And this is something to certainly practice in our art, but also to keep in mind for all aspects of life and all circumstances we are faced with. Let’s try to be very aware of this small principle this month. Before being affected by any outer circumstance, take a breath, and ask what consciousness am I expressing in this moment? Find creative ways to do that during the day, to keep a positive attitude of mind and to keep positive thoughts! Perhaps then we can allow the divine to express through our every activity, interaction with others, task we need to do, art piece and most importantly, and eventually, in every thought!
This picture shared by Boman Irani this week touched my heart this week and the caption he shared with it adds to this thought:
“You’re only as happy as you choose to be.”
Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/BtailmzHYJV/
The New Indian express reported a little detail on this picture which was so lovely: “If you look closer at the picture, the little boy in a pink striped shirt standing behind the one taking the selfie is the only one wearing slippers, which he appears to have lent to click the picture.”
Here’s a reminder for all of us to choose to be happy, every minute, in every circumstance! And let’s find creative ways to do this!