Tiny Wisdom: On Happiness

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ~Gandhi

It’s awfully difficult to be happy when you don’t love or respect yourself, and let’s face it: A big part of self love has to do with operating with integrity.

When you commit to making a positive change–like meditating or cutting back on work–but don’t follow through, you’re basically telling yourself that your commitments to yourself aren’t valuable enough to keep.

When you decide you believe in something strongly, like honesty, and then contradict it in your actions by lying, you’re telling yourself that your values and beliefs don’t really mean much to you.

These small choices create a nagging sense of internal conflict–a feeling that you’re not who you say you are, and you aren’t sure why you’re not.

I’ve been there many times before. I’ve said that balance is important to me then overloaded my schedule. I’ve committed to being compassionate, and then I’ve judged someone harshly. The end result is always the same: I feel unhappy, and then I recognize the distance between who I want to be and who I’m being.

Today if you feel unhappy and struggle identifying the cause, ask yourself: Am I being the person I say I am–and if not, what changes can I make to align what I think, say, and do?

Photo by Zen me

About Lori Deschene

Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha. She started the site after struggling with depression, bulimia, c-PTSD, and toxic shame so she could recycle her former pain into something useful and inspire others to do the same. You can find her books, including Tiny Buddha’s Gratitude Journal and Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal, here and learn more about her eCourse, Recreate Your Life Story, if you’re ready to transform your life and become the person you want to be.