“People and circumstances don’t make me happy. I can get there all by myself.”—Carla from my gratitude posse
When texting her three blessings a couple days ago, Carla wrote that she was grateful for “unconstitutional happiness.” She quickly amended it, explained that autocorrect changed what was supposed to be “unconditional happiness” to “unconstitutional happiness.”
Several of us texted back, “but we like unconstitutional happiness.”
Here’s why. The 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, borrowing from the famous line in the Declaration of Independence, guarantees all of us the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Unconstitutional is my preference because pursuing happiness doesn’t work. It puts us in the position of being constant seekers. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of seeking, tired of waiting for that thing I’m supposed to find someday. Happiness isn’t far away at the top of some mountain. It is always right here, in the here and now. This moment.
We don’t need another book, another seminar, another practice. We got this. It’s etched into our DNA. The only problem, ever, is our misperception. What if we let go of all our illusions, our beliefs that there’s something we have to do? What if we just stopped and looked around and realized, “Wow! What a cool world I live in.”
I’ve posted this before (it’s from Matt Harding who I interviewed for one of my National Geographic books), but it’s such a great celebration that it bears periodic repeating.
Have the best weekend of your lives, my friends.
Pam Grout is the author of 17 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and its equally-scintillating sequel, E-Cubed, 9 More Experiments that Prove Mirth, Magic and Merriment is your Full-time Gig.
15 Responses
Thank you, Pam!! You are a beacon!! I love that you wish for me the best weekend of my life. Thank you, and you, too!!!!!! oxoxoxoxoxoxoxox, k >
I sure enjoyed that video! Brought tears to my eyes but in a happy way 🙂 Thank you so much Pam!
Getting to Happy all by our own selves. I just love that.
So very true!
Thank you for your always beautifully timed nuggets of delight that pop into my inbox.
Today’s really made me laugh out loud as I had just finished a Soul Energy Portrait and Reading for a client, who’s recurring message throughout was to just be, to stop searching, looking for the answers everywhere and to be still and let it all come happily to them instead. Talk about synchronicity! Just love it 😀 Frances
Thank you, Pam, and LOVE the video!!
Dear Pam,
I am usually a happy guy. I had been looking for new challenges in my life that caused me being happy. For me hapiness was a kind of outer state.
A couple of days ago it simply struck me that I don’t need to do anything at all to be happy, I am a secondary school teacher in Hungary and nowadays the health of the education system is not the best as teachers and the government are on opposite sites. This tension has been accumulating between these two parties for about a decade. I needed to pull myself toghether a lot of times when I simply got involved in the debate and had to focus my attention to the bright side of life. It was not always easy.
Two days ago I just let everything go, gave up my pursuit of happiness and went on vacation mentally. Since then I have been enjoying every moment I spend in my classroom with the students and my inner hapiness affects the students also. I feel the love of Life and the contiuous support.
And the best is, that it has been always here for me. Heaven is here I just did not realize.
As a reinforcement to my question the Universe answered with your post today.
Thank you very much:
Mike
Hi Mike,
Same situation nowadays I am facing in my professional work.
You gave me nice solution for it. It is better to let go everything and enjoy each moment.
Thank you
Sagar
Love this, Brother! Right there with you! Middle School educator in the US….Teaching unit on respect, and the aha moments are nothing short of amazing! Our joy overflows, and our students rejoice….right there with us!
Blessings Pam, such a wonderful video of something as simple yet profund as dancing. To be happy is our birthright and there is always , always something to be grateful and happy about. Dance on sweet souls 💜💜💜💃💃💃
Pam, I think science should figure out a way to extract the energy from you and your power posse and infuse it into the air and water of planet Earth! Until then, I guess we’ll all just have to start handing out copies of your books to random strangers…. Thank you for your work and taking the time to share via this blog.
Pam…I never tire of this video. It always makes me happy and makes me laugh and cry, reminding me of how often and how easy it is to do both at the same time. Thanks.
Hey Pam! I LOVE how the “goof of autocorrect” can bring a surprise blessing! LOL! Unconstitutional happy! Woohoo!
I heartily agree with this post. When looking for the number 222, an experiment from the book E Cubed, I was in a grocery store. My eyes were focused. I was frustrated. I had not found this number, the last of the experiments and the only one that I had not seen. Then I remembered meditation practice, and being Now. My eyes opened. I saw the people, the color, the movement, the whole, colorful, alive market and the number 222 no longer mattered. It was just being now, open, broad view rather than the narrow one. Amazing
but Pam, the Path never ends. As we experience happiness so much more opportunity opens up. It takes your breath away!
Hi Pam, Please make sure I’m still on your mailing list. I was offline for a good while and haven’t seen an email from you in a while. Btw, I loved the one about the Seattle football team being meditators. Carole