What bring us the greatest joy?Do things have to change for us to be joyful?Are there certain conditions to be met?Or can we just be joyful for no reason at all?Can we just be grateful to be alive?Can we just be happy because we can breath?There is a trap we often find ourselves in.It is the trap of conditions.When this happens then I'll be happy.When I achieve that then I'll celebrate.When I have a little more I'll be grateful.Somehow, this all feels a little backwards.For when we put conditions on our happiness we are sure not to be happy.When we say we will wait to be grateful we are putting it off for no reason at all.Why wait?Why deny ourselves the pleasure of joy?Why can we not just accept being happy as our natural state?Why do we create so many conditions in order to celebrate?Whenever we create rules around when we can feel something we are cutting ourselves off from that feeling.The rules are artificial.They are all made up.Either by us or by those around us.Why do we have to listen to what others think about feelings?Why can we not just feel how we feel without thought of what others feel?We are joyful being by nature.Just look at babies.They are joyful naturally.They know nothing of conditions.Our joy, happiness, and gratitude are our business.No one else should have a say in it.No one else should dictate it.No one else should decide it for us.It is our life.It is our choice to allow ourselves to be happy.It is an allowing, not something to strive for.It comes to us naturally when we stop and take a moment to breath.To sit still and just pause.To be with our own feelings.They may not all be joyful feelings.Yet the more we allow ourselves to feel whatever it is we are feeling, the more we can access joy.The more we touch upon gratitude.The more we can learn to allow our own happiness to shine through.Interestingly, when we are happy, somehow other are too...

~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant