On Finding the Happy Within

Positive psychology is, if you’ll pardon the pun, a positive step forward, looking at what we are doing right and building on that versus just trying to solve ‘the problem’ or mental illness. As the father of positive psychology, Martin Seligman has done admirable work in the field of the human psyche. The issue I see with ‘happiness research’ is that we are somehow tempted to look outside ourselves for sources of joy. In my own work I encourage people to find ‘flow’ as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi terms it. That utter state of timelessness uplifts our souls as we nurture that which is good about ourselves.

Is it not oh-so-human to wish for the quick fix? (Or perhaps it is distinctly Western in thinking). I agree we need a path to wisdom, relying on our inner knowing. For we are born with an intrinsic voice. It is a most joyful experience to lend it its song.

As Gretchin Rubin (author of The Happiness Project) and others will tell you, happiness comes from within. How we view our surroundings is a reflection of our inner being. But I needn’t tell you that, Deepak! 🙂
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost