Remember that popular 80’s song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy?” While a charmingly catchy tune, the irony in today’s world is as laughable as ever!

We worry about happiness. We worry about why we are not happy. When we are happy, we worry that it won’t last forever. We hear that happiness is a choice, and we worry when we aren’t able to choose it. We see other people who are happy, some with far fewer resources and some with perceived advantages, and judge ourselves while we wonder what’s “wrong” with us.

We worry about happiness when we don’t have it, but how often to we say, “I am feeling so uninspired. Maybe something is wrong with me. Maybe something is wrong with my life. Maybe I need medication.”

We don’t need medication to feel inspired because we know we aren’t expected to be inspired 24/7. We can jump into inspiration anytime, and at the close of our inspired project or activity, we feel fulfilled instead of the sense of loss that accompanies an experience or change that takes our happiness. We are empowered to simply dive into another inspired moment or activity whenever we want.

We always know that we can get inspired, so we don’t worry about being inspired. We don’t judge ourselves when we aren’t inspired. There isn’t a feeling of scarcity or concern when we aren’t in a moment of inspiration because it’s easy to get inspired.

Happiness Example: I’m not feeling happy. What am I going to do? Something is wrong with me. Even if I was happy, I’d be thinking about how much I wish it would last forever because I know it’s only temporary. I can’t even fully enjoy being happy because I know the other shoe will drop eventually.

Inspired Example: I’m not even thinking about the fact that I’m inspired because I’m so present in doing what inspires me. I love doing this! I got so wrapped up that now it’s past my bedtime. I’ll come back to this tomorrow!