“Radical” means “of or from the root; going to the foundation or source of something.” Radical happiness, then, refers to the happiness that comes from our source, rather than from external things or experiences. The externals come and go, while this radical happiness is always available. What a gift that we are given happiness at our core! However, it is a gift — a treasure — that we have to discover for ourselves because the egoic mind (that part of our mind that is all about the ego) keeps us from experiencing it. It keeps us busy paying attention to its plans for happiness and busy with all the activity that those plans will require. We exhaust ourselves in exchange for fleeting moments of happiness. When that happiness fades, the egoic mind convinces us that getting something else will finally end our restlessness and discontentment with life. We don’t realize that the egoic mind is the very source of this discontentment and therefore not capable of bringing us a solution.

This treasure at our core is not actually hidden at all. We experience the subtle happiness at our core whenever our minds are silent enough to notice it. It’s not the explosive (and ephemeral) happiness the ego feels when it gets what it wants, but the quiet contentment with life just as it is. It is a big yes to life. You probably experience this briefly many times a day. It is possible for this to be your ongoing experience, regardless of what else is going on in your life, simply by giving your attention to something other than the mind.

How to Quiet the Mind

In part, what keeps us from experiencing this subtle happiness more is the tendency of our minds to discount it. But life unfolds just fine without the egoic mind’s thoughts, worries, complaints, judgments, opinions, and fears. Right action and speech come from this place, as do inspiration, intuition, knowing, wisdom, love, patience, acceptance, gratitude, and compassion. Without the egoic mind’s fuss, life is much simpler and more pleasant. There is clarity of thought and action.

But we love our thoughts and the drama they cause — or a part of us does, anyway. It is how we are used to living. We are so used to paying attention to our thoughts that we barely notice what life is like without them, without the evaluations, judgments, fears, and opinions. In those rare moments when we are not absorbed in our thoughts, life takes on a magical, innocent, and radiant quality, and we experience deep happiness and contentment.

This happiness may seem like it comes and goes, but it is always there. What comes and goes is our ability to attend to the moment without evaluating it, judging it, arguing with it, and complaining about it. What comes and goes is our willingness to just be here now in this moment without all those thoughts. The more we are willing to just be here without having an opinion about it, the more we will experience the happiness at our core.

by Gina Lake
Gina Lake has dedicated herself to writing and teaching about awakening and finding one’s life purpose. She is the author of Radical Happiness and five other books. Find out more at radicalhappiness.com