The hard part is working out the right formula to get an answer that fits. So it seems logical to me that there must be a fitting formula as a key to happiness. In pondering this I have concluded the following. Many if not most of us start out in a sub zero equation. We don't feel whole, so we seek to find that element of the equation that will give us a sense of feeling whole. We are generally conditioned to live in the material world, and due to equating our previous experiences of happiness to events that have occurred in our life, we tend to continue with this approach seeking externals. We perceive that once we buy that new car, or new home, or once we get that particular job or position, or that partner we have been looking for, that we will be happy and complete. We often hear that expression..."you complete me" The problem with this, is naturally, that as soon as we attach our perception of happiness to something external, we instantly create space between us and our happiness. This creates a lot of emptiness in the meantime. A lot of people then push to bring that other half towards them by force, not having the creative capability to do so they then gain it via debt. This results in them being surrounded with the reflection that they are doing this internally, and so they are faced with this goal of getting back to zero daily, paying off their debt.
If we could learn to detach our happiness from our physical environment, then we would have the capacity to start as zero. If we actually were aware of how much we already have above zero already, we would have both abundance experiences and endless available perspectives for appreciation. We have an infinite number of freely available experiences available to us if we look above zero. Imagine for a moment that the air was suddenly removed, or poisoned. Or that the earth's gravity was removed, or that the earth itself turned into molten lava. Imagine that the drinking water of the world became undrinkable, or vanished. Imagine for a moment that the sun lost it's power to shine, or the earth moved out of it's orbit.
Those are just a few ideas that instantly put us well above zero, if we could realise the preciousness of each or even one. And then there are all the senses. Oh to the taste of an organic tree ripened nectarine, peach or plum. Oh the delicious scent of the forest or sea air, of spring flowers, and just ripened rock melon. Ah the feel of the sun's warmth on your skin; the sensation of warm sand in your toes, and a warm bath/spa to soak in. Then there is the sound of rain on the roof when you are snug up in bed, the choir of nature, with all manner of birds, and insects, and the wind in the trees. The sound of someone's laughter, and sincere appreciation. Then there's the image of someone's smile especially when you were responsible for it. The sight of a beautiful view of nature, let alone the awesomeness of simply just being able to see.
Oh the capacity for a sense of appreciation that comes from a simply exercise of taking away the things that we take for granted.
Try waking up one day you have off from commitments, and try to spend your first hour without opening your eyes. Then imagine doing that for one whole day. Try putting ear plugs in your ears, so you have no capacity to hear at all for an hour, or a day. Try eating nothing but bread, and water for a day or a week. Try putting a terribly bad smelling shirt on that is just rancid to the nose, and wearing that for a day. Try holding your breath for 5 minutes and being told that tomorrow the air will be turned off for maintenance for just 20 mins. " sorry for the inconvenience - we only have to do this once every 10 million years to clean it up once the carbon filters get clogged".
Any of these concepts, - fundamental and sense related, start grounding you at a point already well above zero if you use them correctly. This way anything else that comes to you is then pure abundance. Happiness is more likely to persist due to the fact that you are starting in positive territory.
The other key to happiness is the release of expectations, which I have covered in another previous posting.
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