What’s Your Happiness Ceiling?
Let me introduce you to the concept of the happiness ceiling. We all have one. It’s the level of happiness that you are capped at feeling. Perhaps you might reach brief elevated moments of happiness outside of your ceiling, only to dip back down and return to your “normal” happiness ceiling.
Everyone has a happiness ceiling, whether we are aware of it or not.
So, why is it that we don’t allow ourselves to feel moments of happiness or joy outside of our normal range of emotions for long periods of time?
The answer is fear. Fear of the unknown. It scares almost everyone.
When we aren’t used to feeling the emotions of happiness or joy, it can scare us when we do, either because we don't trust that the emotions will last—which actually creates a self-fulfilling prophecy—or because of the fear that something not-so-good will happen shortly after.
So why is it that we are conditioned to believe the worst and not feel elevated emotions?
Have you read the news? Just kidding...
But really, we currently live in a world where our internal senses and feelings are constantly dampened by overstimulation from cell phones, ads, social media, movies, the latest TV shows, etc. Because of all the external distractions, we aren’t able to reach our ultimate emotional potential and feel profound levels of joy or happiness, perhaps at all, or at least for long periods of time.
Whether we are unconsciously being externally overstimulated or we’re intentionally seeking it out, our modern world is essentially designed for cheap thrills, cheap dopamine hits, and ultimately, a capped happiness ceiling.
Take this moment as a simple drop of thought in your mental atmosphere to bring awareness to your happiness ceiling.
When was the last time you actually felt or allowed yourself to feel and experience true joy and happiness?
Perhaps the next time you experience moments of happiness or joy, you will start to notice that they are followed by a negative or heavier thought that brings you back down to your baseline.
This is your mind’s way of keeping you “safe” in the emotional baseline that you are used to and “comfortable” being in.
Very few people are talking about stepping outside of your comfort zone to allow yourself to actually experience true joy and happiness.
The real question is, “How good can you stand it?”
This is one of my favorite questions that my teacher Sam Bianchini asked during a retreat and it always stuck with me. And I continue to ask myself this whenever I notice an internal struggle with my own happiness ceiling.
So, the next time you feel the beautiful, elevated emotion of joy or happiness, allow yourself to feel it fully. Feel the expansion and elation within and around yourself.
And ask yourself, “How good can you stand it?”
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