Some Saturday soul food: Leo Babauta

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Hmm, cleaning up the dust bunnies since my last post has taken a while longer than expected! I really appreciate your warm support for, and gentle encouragement about, what I do here. You gave me great food for thought - I'll explain in my next post. But tonight I want to share with you an idea of the sage and insightful Leo Babauta of Zen Habits fame. Born in 1973, he's a blogger, journalist and published author. I really like the cut of his jib. 

Happiness is the uncovering of what you already have.

You can read more about his idea in his post here.

His basic premise is:

You have all you need for happiness, right now. 

You don’t need to change anything about yourself or your life. 

You just need to see what’s already there.

He breaks down what we really need to be happy. We can strive for happiness through external things like our families, houses, jobs and possessions.

But having all those boxes ticked as you'd like doesn't necessarily make you happy. Maybe it does for a while but such things are so changeable and by hitching all your hopes on them, your happiness is subject to the whims of others.

But (and this is where he hooks me in) when you look for happiness within ourselves and realise your own strengths and 'amazing things', you don't risk losing that happiness. 

You have control of it.

It's innately in you.

So tell me, do you think Leo is talking sense? Or do you think it's too simplistic a view of life? Do dive in and share.

Oh and I think I'll post soon about what makes me happy. I was thinking about doing a linky party for it. Are you up for it?