5 Ways To Be Happy: the secret could be in Your Underwear

How can you discover your happiness? 
Here are five key elements:

It’s not that my underpants are fancy or sexy. It’s the way they look on the line. It’s the rainbow of colors intensified from the rainwater with which I washed them. It’s the way the sun reflects their colors.  Which panty touches which panty is a creative process and is akin to painting: finding the relationship and expression of color that I commit to the “canvas.” My underwear hanging on the clothesline on the roof of my house is a reflection to me of my good life, the life I choose here in the rural central highlands of México. 

Thanks to Tropenmuseum, of the National Museum of World Cultures for use of this photo depicting indigenous creativity with beads.

1. Honor Your Sensibilities

What delights your senses? Are you tuned in to color, sound, smell, touch, taste? Think of the tiny moments that bring a jolt of joy, pleasure, gratitude. Then start looking for them and taking a moment to let them in. There is an abundance of them all day long! 


2. Incorporate Creativity into Everyday Tasks

Hanging clothes on the line is a creative opportunity. Beyond the practicalities of making sure thicker parts face the sun and avoiding stretching and wrinkles, there is the play of what would be a pretty arrangement! Hanging clothes on the line or in your closet is the same as stringing beads to make a necklace or deciding which color to add to your painting.  The creative opportunity is there.  How could you incorporate creativity into your day?


3. Be in Integrity With Your Values

Eight years ago I left the comfort of my home in the states to live in Mexico. Having a washer and dryer in my home allowed me to dump a load and continue with other tasks while the machine churned and cleaned my clothes. Drying clothes was a non-issue, unrelated to what was happening outside. I no longer have either of these, and especially in the rainy season it can be a challenge.  However, I have the sun and air, able hands, stored rainwater, a ladder to the roof with a view of the corn fields now being planted, and the mountains with their gentle embrace of its inhabitants and time. On a scale of one to ten, where would you put yourself in terms of living in accordance with your values? What would it look like to be more in integrity with your values?


4. Follow Your Heart and Dreams

I had a near perfect life in the states, yet the aspects most important to me were missing; connection to place and living where the original traditions (that which keep the relationship between people and the rest of nature in harmony) were alive. Following my heart and dreams to Latin America led me to the satisfaction of my deepest desires. What could following your heart and dreams do for you?


5. Live Your Life Fully

While leaving your life, home, friends, community and job for another country may not be your path, my wish is that you do follow your heart and live your life fully and meaningfully for you. 

What makes  you happy? Starting with awareness of what senses bring you delight is not disconnected from your core values and dreams. Exploring this can be scary and exciting. I’m here to support you in this process of living the life you really want. I look forward to your sharing about what comes up for you when you discover and pay attention to you the little things that bring you joy! I will respond. Together we bring one another along.

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