The Joy You’re Looking For Is Inside You

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on how often we talk about things outside of us—things that trigger us, bother us, and make us unhappy. And how those things are, ultimately, illusions. They don’t hold the power we think they do. But something clicked for me last week in a slightly different way. It wasn’t about what was making me unhappy—it was about what I thought was making me happy.

The moment I realized it was me

I’d just spent a couple of peaceful hours walking my baby nephew. The weather was perfect. The movement felt good. The air was light, and I felt this deep, blissful peace as I came back home. Later, on the phone with my mentor, they asked how I was doing. I said, “I just came from newborn baby time, so I’m amazing!”

And I caught myself. That sentence carried an implied cause and effect. I felt amazing because of the baby, because of the walk, because of the weather. But when I looked deeper, I realized the peace I felt wasn’t coming from the baby or the walk. It was coming from me. I am peace. There was no cause. Nothing outside me was required. That joy, that contentment—that’s who I already am.

If my happiness depends on anything outside of me—a calm baby, a sunny day, a job offer, a kind word—then I’m still living in the illusion that happiness is earned, or given, or conditional. But it’s not.

Your happiness lives inside you

Your peace comes from within you. Your happiness lives inside you. It always has. Even when life gets hard. Even when things don’t go “your way.” The job falls through. The kids are wild. Your partner’s having a tough day. None of those things have the power to take away your happiness—unless you hand it over.

Now, let me be real—this isn’t about perfection. I still fall into the old habit sometimes. I still catch myself feeling happy because “something went right.” And that’s okay. There’s no shame in noticing it.

The beauty is in the remembering.

The next time you feel yourself light up because something went well, gently remind yourself that light was always there. You just noticed it.

You can feel peace. You can feel contentment. You can feel joy—regardless of what’s happening outside of you.

And I know… it doesn’t always look that way. Sometimes, the world feels like a chaotic mess. Like a total **** show, honestly. But that doesn’t change the truth:

You are the source of your own peace.

So how do we access happiness from the inside out?

You might not like this answer—but… you don’t do it. You remember it.

Our natural state—the one we came into the world with—is one of peace. Like a newborn baby. Fresh. Innocent. Whole. Unconditionally loving. Aware. You didn’t enter the world with anxiety or shame or fear. You were content. You were enough. And the truth is… you still are.

I’m just here to remind you: that baby is still in you. That peace is still yours. So what if—for the next week—we lived from that place? As if we were that newborn baby again. Meeting life with innocence, openness, wonder. Not because everything outside is perfect, but because everything inside is whole. That’s the invitation.

Try it and see. You don’t have to earn happiness. You already are it.