Want to experience true happiness? Give up everything. Yes, it may seem ass-about-face but I believe this is the only way to feel truly free and happy. Of course, the practicalities of this advice deserve another blog post of their own but I wanted to put this thought out there.
When we are too preoccupied with what we have and how successful we are, we are stuck steadfastly in the competitive world of what we think will bring us happiness. If you give everything up, the rules that apply to everyone else no longer apply to you and the enormous pressure on your shoulders disappears. When you walk this planet as a free human being with no material possessions, there is nothing to fear. When we invest in material possessions we adopt all the stress and angst that comes with that. If we reject the material possessions that actually drag us down, we truly learn to feel free and focus on ourselves and our experiences and relationships with others.
Of course, life is strongly engineered against this type of self determination so my advice is to try to simplify your life and keep material possessions in their place. Priorities such as self enlightenment, personal growth and emotional wellbeing are healthy and it makes sense to have these priorities higher up than buying a new car or getting a promotion at work. These two levels are not mutually exclusive however, they can both be worked towards in tandem.
I would love to be a hippy travelling the world but, again, the reality is not that practical as I have a son at school and a well entrenched life with responsibilities. It is always in my sights though and experiencing the world through my senses rather than through my bank account and possessions is where I’d like to be someday. I realise the idealist in me is coming out in this post but there you go…living and dreaming and hopefully making the two meet is what it’s all about. 🙂 True happiness…
Mandy X
Photo by symphony of love 
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
