Baseline Happiness

What is baseline happiness I hear you ask?

If you're a dj like myself, your mind might instantly go to the dancefloor and a song that has an infectious bass line but in this instance, I'm referring to what might otherwise be known as self-referral happiness.

From the Vedic perspective, there are two types of happiness - self-referral or baseline happiness and object referral happiness.

Object referral happiness is the type of happiness we get from outside of our self. Things such as, well - things - what we have, what we don't have, the level of success we might have (or not have), the money we have (or don't have) etc etc.

And the thing about this kind of happiness - it's always subject to change. If our happiness is based on how much money we have or how successful we are, what happens when we lose the money or the success?  The answer is obvious - there goes our happiness. 

Imagine being at the "top" and having your happiness based on that - it actually sounds terrible - because sure enough - you won't be at the top forever - and with that will go your happiness.

What we prefer to have is baseline happiness - that feeling we get from inside that is independent of whatever is going on in the outside world. It doesn't mean we don't want the money or success etc, but it means that our happiness isn't tied to it.

As a dj with baseline happiness, my preference is always for my music to be well received - and if it is - it surely does give me a sense of joy. But if it isn't well received - i'm ok with it. It wasn't going to make me - and it isn't going to break me.

One analogy for this came to me whilst sitting in a hot tub, outside, as it was snowing. I could feel the snow hitting my body and I could feel the cold that the snow was bringing - but at no point was I ever concerned about being cold - why - because I was in a hot tub. It didn't matter how cold the snow was - because the hot tub was always going to keep me warm. 

That's in a nut shell - what baseline happiness is. Irrespective of what's going on outside - no matter how cold it gets - we have the ever-lasting, self-sustainable happiness from the inside keeping us warm.

The twice a day practice of Vedic Meditation is the vehicle that takes us there. As we systematically unwind a lifetime of accumulated stress, we each day get closer and closer to a world that is defined not by what's going on outside - but by what's going on inside - and when everything inside is clear and pure - it actually doesn't really matter what's going on outside.

Speaking of, my colleagues and friends Blaise DeAngelo and Barron Hanson and I have a retreat coming up which celebrates the cultivation of baseline happiness and creation in general.

If you're feeling like you'd like to take a giant leap towards baseline happiness, this retreat might be just what you're looking for.  We still have some spaces available.

October 27-31 - please click the link below for more info.

https://www.here-in.world/retreats/creators

Much love

Matt