Where’s your “Happy Place”?

I first heard the term “happy place” last year. It was a description of the holiday destination of a dear friend of mine.

Within a couple of days I then heard several other people mention their “happy place”.

It really had an impact on me – this concept of a “happy place” as a physical location – a place where you could go and feel totally at ease – a place to escape “everyday life”.

I’d never come across this idea before – possibly because I love to explore and visit new places, try out new experiences.

However it got me thinking.

When I think of my own “happy place” – I see it as a place within.

A sense of ease and delight in life which I’m blessed to experience most of the time now (although it was very different once).

That it wasn’t a physical place we go to once or twice a year.

Or a feeling we experience when something amazing happens.

Instead it is our everyday experience of life.

And we feel it no matter where we are or what is going on around us.

For me my “happy place” is at home and on holiday, it’s taking the children to school, it’s taking my dog for a walk, it’s writing, it’s connecting on Facebook – I even experience it washing dishes and doing ironing.

And “I don’t do ironing” – so to be in a “happy place” whilst ironing is quite something!

Do people want to have that “holiday feeling” each and every day? Would experiencing it daily mean it would lose its sense of specialness?

Maybe it’s doesn’t even enter the realm of possibility because life’s so full of stress and struggle.

And as I pondered on this concept, I started to think about what’s shifted for me.

Just a few years ago my life was filled with stress and struggle:

“Life’s a battle”

“Life’s not fair”

“You’ve made your bed, lie in it”

These were regular thoughts that would appear almost daily.

Yet now my life is filled with ease and joy.

Very little has shifted externally – instead I’ve experienced an inner shift (the impact of which has resulted in a huge transformations in my relationship with others.)

I stopped seeing life as a series of challenges to overcome, or a battle I must fight, or a goal I must achieve in order to live “happily ever after”.

And instead I started to see life as a beautiful, unfolding story.

A wonderful, magical story full of exciting twists and turns.

Of course, in any good story there are always challenges and setbacks along the way (it would be a very boring story without them.)

But seeing life through the lens of a beautiful unfolding story shifted EVERYTHING.

Because I’m no longer trying to get “somewhere”.

Or trying to be “someone”.

I’m no longer striving to be the “best version of me”.

I’m not looking to achieve a specific goal so that I can hang my hat on it and say “I’m a success.”

Instead I simply “am”.

I watch my life unfold.

I delight in it.

When I get triggered (which used to happen a LOT) I explore what it is that is actually triggering me.

Why does this situation or that person’s behaviour bother me so much?

I usually discover it points to an unhealed “wound” within me – and so I explore and go deeper and it heals a little more.

Melina supports people to live an inspiring and deeply fulfilling life – full of magic and adventure. To find out more about working with her, book an Exploration Call today.