Happiness Mantra
Introduction
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do
are in harmony.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
Everyone wants to learn the secrets on how to be truly happy in life.
For sure, right now, most people in this world are still in pursuit of
happiness, a journey that many of them have probably started right
from that very moment when they learned about the concept of
“happiness.”
Did you ever wonder what it really takes to be truly happy? Many
people tried pursuing relationships, money, and success, and most of
them have reached that point when they have realized that happiness
does not really come from the outside, or from the world where you live
in. In all essence, happiness is something that comes from deep within
you, lying in that secret place within yourself, waiting for you to finally
tap it and release it from its prison.
Happiness is something that has long been present inside you. Finding
happiness inside yourself is like peeling off the layers of onion, with
each layer representing your thoughts, fears, and negative beliefs. As
you slowly peel away each layer (who you are not), you will gradually
reach its very core (who you are). And right there and then, you will
find your purpose and meaning in life. You will finally discover yourself
and learn the real meaning of happiness.
For you to be truly happy, you need not lock yourself up inside a closet
and meditate for the rest of your life. To be truly happy, there are some
things that you have to learn first and in this Empowered Happiness55
Chapter 1:
Happiness – Know the Basics
Synopsis
Happiness is a state of one’s mind. You do not look for it. You do not
even have to chase it. Happiness, in truth, lies within yourself, starting
from you and ending at you. In the simplest essence, happiness is about
getting back your true nature. While other people try to look for
happiness through their wealth, career, money and success, you have
to understand that happiness is something that you choose for
yourself.
So, what are the basics of happiness? What are the things that you can
do in order for you to truly start being happy with your life?
The Basics
Be in Control and Take Possession
Your body is composed of hundred trillion of cells, all of which are
answerable to you and you alone. You are basically these cells’
commander in chief and they are working constantly not for the benefit
of other people, but only for your own benefit. For these cells, you are
the only person that exists. To start on your journey to happiness, you
first need to be in control of these cells, take possession and be
responsible for these cells for in so doing; you also become the master
of both your mind and body.
Be Yourself6
Newborn babies practically share the same level of happiness the
moment they have been given birth to this world. However, their
happiness level starts to change once they get older. One basic rule in
order to become happy is for you to remember that your fundamental
nature is soft, vibrant and full of enthusiasm, energy, and love. You
must never compare yourself with other people because you are
exceptional and unique. And this uniqueness is something that you
need to explore. If there is one thing about you that you do not like,
never put the blame on your parents, on other people and most
importantly, on yourself. What you need to do is acknowledge its
existence and accept it as it is. Instead of lamenting, what you should
do is exert some efforts in order for you to eliminate this one thing that
you do not like and by this, you can expect to be happy.
Empty Yourself
If you are truly determined to be happy, you also need to free your mind
and body from all negativities. Remember that there is nothing
negative on earth, only your thinking makes things that way. Get rid of
fear, frustration, ego, tension, hatred, anger and stress from your
system. Be aware of your destination and imagine yourself getting
there. Relax. If things are bound to come, they will come, only if you
want them to.
After you have learned how to be in control of yourself, how to be
yourself and how to empty yourself, the next step is for you to fill
yourself with as much positive energy as you can. Fill yourself with
hope, kindness, compassion, positive feelings, gratitude, desires and
love. As you do so, you can finally tell yourself that happiness is just
within your reach.7
Chapter 2:
Reasons of People’s Sadness
Synopsis
“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and
often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.” ― Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow
With everything happening around the world, with all the wars, natural
calamities and other kinds of catastrophes that befall on the people, it
is no longer a surprise that many of them end up sad, or worse, even
depressed.
If you feel down or you got the blues, then, you should know that you
are not alone. Every single person in this world gets sad. When you are
sad, you will surely feel that that sadness is bound to last forever. But
more often than not, sad feelings do not really last that long – several
hours, or even a day or two probably.
Sadness
Sadness – What is It?
When you feel sad, the whole world might seem unfriendly and dark to
you all of a sudden. Deep inside you, you feel that hurt that seems to
crush both your spirit and your heart. Most of the time, you find
yourself crying, with the tears difficult to stop. For most people, crying
alone can already make them feel better. The moment sadness starts
fading away, that is the time when you feel as if the heavy and thick8
blanket has finally be lifted off your heart, and you feel happiness all
over again.
The Natural Reasons for Sadness
It is only natural for a person to feel sad every now and then. Maybe
you were not able to get that one thing that you have always wanted.
Maybe you suddenly missed the presence of a person close to you. You
were probably rejected by someone or maybe, you simply do not feel
that good about yourself.
People actually have a lot of reasons why they feel so sad at one point
in their lives. One of the most common reasons for sadness is loss.
Losing someone you love or something important to you will surely
induce feelings of sadness. Whether it is the loss of a loved one or a pet
or moving to a brand new city and leaving your old friends behind, this
kind of losses are enough reasons for a person to be sad.
While relationships are the best source of fun and happiness most of
the time, these can still make a person sad. A lot of kids today end up
fighting with other members of their family, particularly their parents,
as they struggle growing up and gaining independence. Relationships
in the workplace can also bring about sadness in most people today,
especially when you are constantly having discussions with your
colleagues or your boss does not seem to notice your hard work.
But probably the most usual reason why a lot of modern men and
women today feel sad is because of self-image, or the way that you feel
about yourself. Adults in particular are not totally happy on how they
look. They feel inferior with others whether in school, at work and
other aspects of their lives. It can be easily observed especially when99
talking with the opposite sex, with some people feeling shy to do so
because for them, they are not that good enough.
While it might be pretty much understandable why many people today
feel sad, there is actually no reason for them to dwell on this feeling. At
the end of the day, being happy is something that they should strive to
achieve, for many reasons.10
Chapter 3:
What Is True Happiness?
Synopsis
“True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence
upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but
to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is
so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us
and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it
may be, without wishing for what he has not.” ― Lucius Annaeus
Seneca
Are you happy? If you are, how happy are you?
True happiness refers to the measurement of two kinds of happiness,
namely experienced happiness and remembered happiness.
True Happiness
Experienced happiness pertains to those moments of relief, bliss,
laughter, or joy that you have experienced within a day. Imagine your
friend asking you randomly during lunch time about what you are
doing and how happy you actually are at that very moment. That is
experienced happiness, the kind of happiness that comes from the
things that you do for a particular period of time.
On the other hand, remembered happiness refers to how you think
about yourself in general. This is how you will answer that million
dollar question “Are you happy with your life?”11
This is how you remember those years you had in high school, the
vacations that you went to, the holidays you have spent with your whole
family, the early days of childhood with other kids, your history of jobs,
or even your divorce. Remembered happiness is pretty much like the
bigger picture or perspective on your state of happiness.
It is not surprising that experienced happiness and remembered
happiness do not match all the time. For instance, millionaires in
general have higher rate for their remembered selves compared to
those people who only earn $50,000 each year.
However, a millionaire might have more responsibilities in life. He may
experience more pressure in his work, with a larger house to run and a
spouse who is more demanding.
It only goes to say that even if they are earning millions, these people
might have lesser moments of spontaneous happiness during their day
to day lives, and living their lives less happily. Meanwhile, an ordinary
employee who considers himself as less happy since he lacks the kind
of luxury that he has been dreaming of might, in reality, experience
great bliss and pleasure with their jobs, with their family or with their
hobbies, thus, they tend to have more blissful moments in their day.
Experienced and remembered happiness might be entirely different
things but once you have happy moments in your past and your
present, then, you can say that you have reached the so-called true
happiness.12
Chapter 4:
Empowered Happiness Mindset – What
does it actually mean?
Synopsis
Do you want your life to be happier? Do you want your relationships
with other people better than before? Do you want your business to be
successful? Well, the real secret to all of these lies on your mindset.
Weird as it may sound, you are living in a world in which things happen
depending on what you think.
This is something that most people fail to realize. Whether you actually
believe this or not, this is something that works similarly for everyone.
By focusing on the things that you do not want or complaining about
those negative things in your life, more negativity tend to enter your
life. But if you start to focus more on things that you want and think
about all the positives happening to your life, you also bring in more of
that.
What Is It
Happiness, as they always say, is a choice, which means that if you
choose to be happy, then, you will be. Happiness is a kind of choice that
you make and create for yourself. It is not something that depends on
creating the happiness of other people or getting their approval. In
reality, the level of your life’s happiness has nothing to do with the
things that other people say or do, even if you feel like it actually.13
Happiness is not something that you capture through the affirmation
or actions of others.
Can you really make up your mind to be happy?
The answer is YES. The empowered happiness mindset is set on the
principle that despite the things that happen to you or whatever dire
circumstances you might be in today, you can still be happy.
Your happiness comes from within and happiness can only be
experienced if you have established a connection to your core self, that
part of you that lies deep within and never changes even after all those
year.
If you decide that you will be happy right from your core, then, you are
the one who have the power to identify the degree of happiness that
you will experience.
If your core self is not being overpowered by hormonal or chemical
challenges or overshadowed by your mind’s incessant chatter, then,
there is a high chance for you to experience the so-called
“unconditional happiness.” Your core self has the ability to stick to its
decision of being happy and not falling apart or giving in to
discouragements once it encounters less than perfect conditions.
When you learn living from your core, it is not impossible for you to be
happy even during the toughest of times because you already know how
you should hold on to those good times and chase all the bad away.
With an empowered happiness mindset, you will know how you should
let life to happen and stay open to wallowing in bliss of happiness
whatever your circumstances might be.14
Chapter 5:
Traditional Happiness Ideas vs. New Age
Happiness Ideas
Synopsis
When you dream of happiness, you probably dream of that one place
where suffering is absent – a place with no guilt, anxiety, melancholy,
and mood swings. With the present way of life of many people, most of
them surely look forward to that one day when all their mental battles
and worries will subside – that one golden day when purely positive
things will take place and there will be no more reasons to experience
pain, tension, and sorrow.
Ways To Look At It
But unfortunately, all these things are just part of a mythical place. This
is a kind of place that society would like you to believe exists, just
another gold pot sitting at the end of that proverbial rainbow, which,
when found, will give you security and wealth.
The traditional happiness ideas revolve around this mythical place
with perceived security and comfortable luxury. However, there is no
way for this ideal to come to reality all because of one law of life, which
can be easily summed up in a single word – change.
Change is everything that life knows. Your assets, your moods, your
relationships, your liabilities as well as the other conditions of your1515
existence are not going to stay constant, whatever your cultural idea
might make you believe.
Disaster, death, unforeseen misfortune, conflict, disease, heartbreak as
well as the simple anxieties of your everyday life will continue and
disrupt what you perceive to be peace of happiness.
The new age ideas about happiness dwell on the principle that even
though the traditional happiness ideas might be mythical and
somewhat boring, still, there is a chance for you to find a deeper and
truer state of being. As a human being, your greatest satisfaction will
lie not in the constancy, but in the transformation.
For the modern era, true happiness is about accepting, embracing and
even laughing at your pain. Its aim is to understand that your pain is a
natural result of the changes in your life and it is a crucial precursor to
your growth.16
Chapter 6:
Empowerment for Happiness – What
does it mean to you?
Synopsis
Right from that very moment of your birth, you never got the chance
to choose the kind of life that you will live. Back then, it does not even
matter a bit. Being a newborn, you had no care at all about those things
that matter to the grownups around you. But when you reached that
point when you already understand the difference between white and
black, happy and sad, good and bad, when you find yourself trying to
feel good, it is when you finally start to wonder. What is the real
definition of happiness? How you do find it?
What Does It Mean
Dear friends, happiness is not something that you can just purchase
from a nearby store because if it can be, then, all people in this world
will surely get their pockets empty and their banks broken on buying
happiness each time they feel the need for it, both for themselves and
those close to their hearts. It only means that people with no money
will also be deprived of the chance of being happy.
But of course, this is not the case. Happiness is something springing
from within, a product of all your actions. And despite being intangible,
happiness is not necessarily elusive.17
So, before you wallow yourself in negativity and completely giving up
on your search for happiness, you need to feel empowered and for this,
you have to know how you should set goals so that you can be happy,
truly happy.
First, you have to determine the things that make you feel bad. Identify
each one of them by writing them down on a paper. If you want to be
genuinely happy, you have to identify the reasons for your sadness
because it is the only way for you to face the issues head on.
While laughter is considered as the best medicine, it will surely not feel
right, especially when all you want to do is cry your eyes out or scream
at the top of your lungs.
Happiness will only come if you will address those things that induce
negative feelings such as sadness, guilt, anger, and so on and so forth.
After writing down the things that make you feel bad, the next thing to
do is right down those that make you feel good, small or big alike.
Of course, you cannot do all things that you want for there will always
be things that will hold you back from doing so but there is no need for
you to fret.
You will only have to manage your time and set your priorities. In goal
setting, you will learn managing your time so that you can fulfill all
your duties and at the same time, do those things that can make you
happy.
And last but not the least, you should never let other people wipe away
that hope that you have in finding real happiness. When they tell you
that it is impossible for you to find it, prove to them that they are
wrong.19
Chapter 7:
Why Adopt The Empowerment Mindset
For Happiness?
Synopsis
Having a happy mindset is very powerful and is not something that you
should underestimate. In just a single day, you have thousands of
different thoughts, and only some of these are actually happy and
positive. It is not a secret a happy person has happier and more positive
thoughts compared to an unhappy person. When you think positively,
you are also given with an improved clarity as well as courage and
confidence in facing the day that lies ahead.
Why Do It
Adopting the empowerment mindset for happiness helps you in
determining your own path instead of following others. Sad to say that
through the negative thoughts like jealousy, fear and anger, people are
thrown off their path, losing their ability of thinking and acting
effectively.
But if you try to have a happy mindset as opposed to an unhappy one,
you can certainly attain greater things in your life. You will have the
chance of being a happier person overall.
When you are happy, a more exciting future waits ahead of you while
being unhappy and thinking negative thoughts places you stuck in a
vicious circle where you continue to be afraid and fearful, causing you2020
to act defensively. It is something that tends to push other people away
from you, creating more problems as you become lonelier and more
afraid than ever.
Following the empowerment mindset for happiness as you travel in the
path of life can help make you feel better, which will then lead you to
become a stronger and even more stable person. With this kind of
mindset, you will be completely in control and not
Chapter 8:
Tips For Becoming Empowered For
Happiness
Synopsis
“Happiness is not a possession to be prized, it is a quality of thought,
a state of mind.” ― Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca
In their search for happiness, a lot of people search for it not within
themselves but in other people. Many of them assume that things such
as a good job, more money, better relationships and others will give
them the happiness that they are searching for.
But, the truth is, you can only find true happiness and contentment if
you will look within yourself and you will learn how to be your self’s
best friend. It means that you need to care, trust, and love yourself the
way you care, trust and love those people near your heart.
Here are several tips that are guaranteed to make you empowered for
happiness that you might want to keep in mind:
Tips
Give positive rewards to yourself. If you have done something
that you are proud of, try giving yourself even with just a small
reward. If possible, never wait for praises from others because if
it does not come, you will end up feeling resentful. Patting your
own back every once in a while won’t hurt and in fact, this is a2222
great feeling which will surely stay with you within a long period
of time.
Instead of pulling yourself down, try lifting yourself up. If there
is one thing about yourself that you do not like, do something to
alter it. If it cannot be changed, then, accept it as it is. Never go
for negative self-talk because you lessen your chances of
changing for the better if you are already filled with negative
thoughts.
Learn forgiving yourself. Surely, you will not scold a child over
and over again for a mistake that he did so never do such a thing
to yourself as well for it will not do you any good. Forgiveness is
a gift that you can endow yourself if you made a mistake. After
that, try figuring out the lesson that you learned, using it as an
inspiration in making better choices in the future.
Take pleasure in your successes. Many people can still clearly
remember the details of embarrassing, painful or depressive
events that took place several years ago. What if you try doing
exactly the same thing with the wins and successes that you had
in the past? Instead of wallowing on your downfalls, why not
remember your accomplishments and trials and keep their
memory with you? Thinking about these successes at least once
every week will surely make you feel good.
Never forget celebrating all the wonderful qualities that you have! The
best and most important tip for becoming empowered for happiness is
learning to love yourself for as you do so, you will also be able to love
others around you and they will also start to love you even more!23
Chapter 9:
Empowered Mindset for Happiness –
The Pros and Cons
Synopsis
No matter where you live, or whatever race you might belong to, it is
easy for one to get stuck in a rut, emotionally and intellectually, which
can cause unhappiness. A lot of studies have revealed the causes as well
as effects of happiness, with numerous benefits being associated to
being happiness, professionally as well as personally.
Your happiness can be negatively affected by outside forces, some of
which are out of your control, such as bothersome coworkers, loss of a
loved one, or even the weather.
But, there will also be those forces which are controllable and during
such cases, happiness becomes a choice. It is easy and common to be
wallow and be engulfed in self-pity once the blues start to call, but
adopting the empowerment mindset for happiness will be very
beneficial for you.
The Good And Bad
One good thing about this mindset for happiness is that you will
actually be more motivated to face every single day. You will not
experience that laziness of waking up every morning and instead, you
will be more energized to face the day. You will feel happier and if you2424
are happy, you will also be more optimistic, allowing you to focus only
on those good things with your life.
This empowerment will also help you to become more creative and
productive. An unhappy person is more distracted, less productive and
more sluggish.
They also have higher chances of getting sick. But if you are happy, you
will feel better, be more energized and have an improved focus that will
increase your creativity and productivity. If this happens, you can
easily and successfully finish all the things that you are set out to do
while still having some spare time to do the things that you really enjoy.
If you are a happy person, more people will start to like you. It is good
to be work and be around a happy person who smiles more often and
has a more uplifting and positive attitude that inspires others.
Unhappy people can bring negativity to those around them, causing
unhappiness and negative thoughts, something that is unpleasant for
those around them. On the other hand, happiness is contagious,
making other people around you much happier, which will then make
you more positive and uplifted.
The empowerment mindset for happiness only has good things about
it and there is nothing bad about it for after all, there is surely nothing
wrong with being happy, is there? This kind of mindset is something
that needs to be adopted for everyone because if it happens, then, the
whole world will surely become a much happier and better place to live
in.25
Conclusion
“Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on
outward circumstances.” ― Benjamin Franklin
At the end of the day, there is only one thing that this Empowered
Happiness Bible wants to teach you, and that is, the source for
happiness is just lying within you. Real and genuine happiness can only
be yours, whatever the circumstance you might be in right now, by
looking inside you.
While short term happiness can be yours with the pleasant
circumstances, this can actually chronically distract you in your pursuit
for the long term type of happiness.
The primary ingredients for you to obtain real happiness are
summarized as follows:
Recognize that your emotions and thoughts are not “you” in
essence for these are just products of the mind which can come
and go as they please.
Never categorically abandon short-time pleasures but be more
selective in opting for long term happiness over the short term
pleasures every time you feel the need to choose.26
Consider your heart as the instrument that will guide you in
making the right choices which will help you in finding happiness
for long term.
Try to give your mind with undistracted rest and time. Set aside
some time in your calendar for peace of mind that can be used
for contemplation and creating new spaces within your mind.
While living in this world is far from being perfect and there will always
be times when you will feel the weight on your shoulders, it must not
stop you from being happy. As being said over and over again
throughout this book, happiness is actually a choice, not something
that just “happens.” You, and not other people, will decide when you
will be happy. Being happy is a matter of will. If you willed yourself to
be happy, then, there is no reason for you not to find that happiness.
May this Empowered Happiness Bible serve as your guide and
inspiration in reaching and experiencing genuine happiness! Never
look for happiness anywhere else. Instead, look inside yourself and in
there, surely, you will find that one thing that you have long been
searching for!