Living Your Dharma

Are you living your life purpose?  Do you know what it is? 

Your dharma, your highest purpose, will make everything better for you and for the world!

Does that mean everything is unicorns and rainbows?  Of course not.

But, you will FEEL it in your body, and a lot of times, that is how you will identify true happiness.

I started diving deep into my purpose after my daddy died.  His life motto was “happiness is a choice”, and he actually lived by it – regardless of his circumstances.  His primary care physician called me to tell me how much my father inspired him.  Daddy was a diabetic, and he spent the last fifteen years of his life in a scooter due to a rare neuropathy associated with it.  The doctor told me that no matter what health complication came up (congestive heart failure and the onset of kidney disease to name a couple), Daddy’s response was “okay, what do we do?”  He never gave up, he always chose happiness, and he learned over and over again how to live in his new normal.  Those words from the physician made things just a little bit easier.  I figured if my daddy could do it, I could handle anything, too.  And to be honest, I have.  

Two years later, my first-born son transitioned to the next realm.  It was unexpected and sudden.  He didn’t live with those daily challenges associated with a chronic disease, and he was not supposed to leave this planet before me.  It was out of order, and I did not choose happiness.  Yoga and journaling became my refuge, instead of my old creative practice, and that lasted many months. 

Then, in 2018, I started yoga teacher training, and I started hearing about dharma again.  I still didn’t feel like I could help anyone be happy, but I realized that yoga could help other people going through a similar experience.  For my final project, I designed a yoga class for people living with traumatic grief, and I taught about how to use it and led the practice on an international virtual summit in 2019.  What I learned through that process is that while I cannot help someone choose happiness (only you can choose to be happy), the very same tools I was using before Josh died – as a “happiness coach” apply to every single change in my life.  That means they can work for you, no matter what you’re going through.  The key is simply to try different tools until you find the one that works for you.

Now, I’m sharing the tools I use (and some I choose not to use) with other people, so they can remember who they are, why they are here, and move closer to the highest version of themselves.

Whether it’s practicing yoga, establishing a morning routine that includes intention-setting and journaling, or any intuitive tool that appeals to you, you can move into stillness.  THAT is where you can remember who you are, listen to your own inner wisdom, and identify your life purpose, your dharma.  Then, the choice is yours.  Do you live to fulfill your purpose and share your unique gifts with the world, or do you leave things as they are?

Life IS all about choices, and while we cannot stop the unthinkable from happening every time, we CAN choose how we react or respond to whatever comes into our experience.  So, if you think about it, we absolutely can choose happiness – even in our darkest hours.  Happiness and sadness – even devastation – can peacefully coexist.  We can be grateful for those moments of happiness, and even the moments of sadness.  They shape us into the person we are and are meant to be.

What do you think?  Can you choose happiness?  Can you FEEL you’re living your purpose, your dharma?