Bliss. Aaaaahh, bliss!

 

Even in just typing the word, it feels as if there should be little white doves fluttering about with light blue ribbons trailing from their beaks, angelic harp music lilting in the air along with them. It makes me wish I could nap on puffy white clouds and float off into the ethers, away from all that causes tension and stress and tightness in my body and mind. Bliss. Yeaaaah. Gimme some of that!

 

Among the myriad things famous mythologist Joseph Campbell left behind, the quote "follow your bliss" is perhaps one of the best known. It's prompted mugs and magnets, bumper stickers and blogs devoted to the whole subject of bliss. But somehow, along the way, I think we've mis-interpreted the message. When we fixate on the idea of getting to "bliss," I think we're missing his point.

See, Campbell is also famous for another quote, which is actually my personal fave: "People say that what we're seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive."

 

Campbell was all about the experience of being alive...of feeling and rapture and exploration and consciousness. And that, my dear reader, is all about the journey. The process. Creation. It's actually not, I dare say, about the destination. So, what we're all up to here in this life is actually not about arriving at a state of bliss. We've tended to focus on "bliss" as if it's the carrot luring us along down our path, but in so doing, we're missing the entire point, and that is found when we flip that quote entirely on its head: Bliss Your Follow!

 

What if, instead of focusing on ending up at bliss, the whole point was to make the "following" part of your unique path as blissful as you can possibly make it?

 

What if we get to have our visions and dreams and goals but not forsake the journey in the process of getting there?

 

This is antithetical to all our parents' generations may have wanted to teach us about the concept of "work hard and then retire." Delayed gratification is an ingrained philosophy that's to blame for many an unfulfilled soul.

 

But one thing I know for sure is that there are no guarantees. No one can promise that if you forestall joy, you'll be happier after you work yourself into the ground in a job that sucks your spirit dry. No one can tell you that if you just stick it out a little longer, that relationship you've been trying to force into something great will finally complete you (Jerry McGuire notwithstanding!). No one can even assure you that when you make more money, life will be easier or more peaceful.

 

No one can promise that if you chase bliss, you'll ever feel blissful.

 

So, I propose a bliss revolution! Let's all make sure our journeys in this life are as blissful as we can possibly make them. In the words of Campbell, let's dare to make sure that our lives are full of "the rapture of being alive"!

 

Here are some questions and ideas to help you effectively "bliss your follow," and in so doing, create more bliss than you could ever chase down!

 

First, what is bliss, to you?

 

Do you believe it's possible to create a little bit of bliss every day?

--> Idea: If not, I invite you to decide right now that it IS possible. Life Leadership is about being fully at choice, remember? :)

 

If you were to do one small thing right this very minute--really, right NOW--to increase your feeling of bliss, what would it be?

--> Ideas: get yourself some water or a snack. Stop and take three deep breaths. Get up and go outside; walk around the block and soak up the outdoors.

 

If you were to plan one small thing to make sure you've got a little bit of bliss in your life tomorrow, what would it be?

--> Ideas: Indulge at your favorite coffee or tea joint, sign up for Notes from the Universe at TUT.com, carve out five minutes of solitude in the morning to think about what you're grateful for.

 

Who do you know that's good at creating "bliss along the way"? 

--> Idea: In the next week, get in touch with this person. Interview him or her...find out how s/he does it, and commit to leaving the conversation w/ 2-3 things you can implement in your days pronto! 

 

Whatever you do, please, don't forestall joy. Don't chase bliss and lose sight of how blissful your journey can be. Remember that creating bliss can be easy, and know that you are totally, totally capable. Bliss on!