‘How Was Your Day?’ = How Did You Look at Your Day?

Happiness is a state of mind, so happiness merely lives a thought away

I. Look — Your Day

Last week a snowstorm hit the Big Apple. And it was cold. I mean really cold. I mean so cold, heck, I could’ve sworn I saw Superman call an Uber.

My mother FaceTimed me. “Son, I know the weather’s been brutal up there,” she said. “How was your day?”

I held up a finger and closed my eyes, briefly pausing for reflection. I then told Mama how I love writing in New York City when snow falls.

I then told Mama how, given that I’m a February baby, I love winter — the very spring of genius.

I then told Mama how I love Old Man Winter’s knack for convincing the City That Never Sleeps to, um, occasionally sleep in heavenly peace.

“That’s my son for you!” She clapped and laughed. “Always looking on the bright side.”

Always…

Whenever someone asks me, “How was your day?” I always translate the question into, “How did you look at your day?” And since it’s “my” day, after all, I figure — might as well choose to look on life’s sunny side.

Or as Einstein once put it:

“I’d rather be an optimist and a fool than a pessimist and right.”

II. Life in the ‘USM’

“You don’t see something until you have the right metaphor to let you perceive it” — James Gleick

Of each person’s 60,000 daily thoughts, researchers estimate roughly 80 percent occur in pictures.

“See what I mean?” goes the saying.

For this reason, Aristotle concluded mastery of metaphors is a sure sign of genius. After all, a metaphor reaches for the heavens . . . strips a metaphysical idea of its “meta” . . . and then brings it back down to the physical.

Ta-da!

Because happiness is a state of mind, this means we daily decide whether to live in a happy state or not.

Some men chase women, some women chase money, some of both chase vodka with the soft drink of choice, yet every such chase leads to the same pot at the end of the rainbow: happiness.

Armed with the above insight, let’s try out the following metaphor.

If a guy claims he loves surfing in sunny weather, yet moves to the state of Minnesota, I’m left scratching my head. After all, the Sunshine State sounds like a better fit.

Notice what’s being suggested here.

Just as each state in the United States carries a distinct character, the same holds for USM (United States of Mind).

“The beginning of wisdom,” said Socrates, “is the definition of terms.”

Armed with the Socratic Method, it becomes apparent just as the state of Florida is known for beaches and oranges, the state of Happiness is known for contentment, gratitude, optimism, mindfulness . . .

Because we can no more experience life without a mind than can we chew without a mouth, this “USM metaphor” holds across the board. Take for instance the following.

Days ago a buddy complained he was tired of feeling “unsuccessful.”

Armed with the USM, I asked my pal to name the Boogie Man keeping him from using, say, his ability to speak English or living in America as a definition of “success.” After all, millions dream of fluently speaking the world’s lingua franca, not to mention living in the free world.

In short, just as happiness is located in the USM, I reminded my pal to move his thoughts to the state of Success.

Whenever someone mentions they’re feeling “stressed out,” I usually ask about health. And then about shelter. And so on, checking off life’s basic necessities.

Why?

Gratitude is the capital of the state of Happiness. Bingo!

Chew on this:

The happiest people rarely have the most, but are usually the most grateful for what they have.

III. The Takeaway

Because there’s no reality without perception, it must be the case — “perception is reality.” This explains why for ages philosophers have argued it’s the mind that shapes things, not things that shape the mind.

We live for happiness. Period, no run-on sentence. Yet fortunately and unfortunately, happiness is a private affair — all in the mind.

When Pharisees demanded the Nazarene take them to this great “kingdom,” which he kept boasting about, he came to a standstill. “The kingdom of heaven,” he told them, “is within you.”

Nirvana is within you.

And because such peace lies within a state of mind, perhaps by merely altering how we view meditation is the key. It’s the mind, not the Self, that feels happy or depressed or any of the various states comprising the USM.

Perhaps it’s time to unmask “meditation,” strip away all such pageantry.

When cool lotus poses and even cooler yoga studios fall away, meditation reveals three sweet words: controlling your attention.

Bingo!

Meditation’s true aim is to realize this:

Lasting peace of mind is impossible so long as you view your mind as identical to yourself, instead of viewing yourself as your mind’s guardian.

Where the guardian’s attention goes, the mind flows.

“Hey, beautiful,” some guy catcalls at a lady crossing the street. But she’s wearing AirPods. He hisses, now realizing he can’t get her attention.

Attention means to attend → to reside. And because a resident of any state does in fact, well, reside in that state, the following insight is clear: mindfulness trains the mind how to stay mindful of attending “places” in the state of Happiness.

An untrained mind rarely focuses on needs and haves, but instead dwells on wants and have-nots. Depression, then, comes from spending too much time in a state of negative thoughts.

The solution?

Move!

Move to another state of mind. Daily. And because gratitude is the very capital of Happiness, life’s master key is an attitude of gratitude.

“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth.” — Buddha

Happiness is contentment. Contentment is satisfaction. Satisfaction is gratitude …

My uncle John was grumpy. Always. Heck, Uncle John was the kind of guy who only liked onions because they make folks cry.

Ah, but each Sunday my grumpy uncle feasted on Big Mama’s cooking. He’d then rub his belly and crack a tight-lipped smile. “Thank you, Mama,” he’d say, grateful for feeling satisfied.

Indeed, Uncle John was content. Contentment is satisfaction. Satisfaction is gratitude. …

We all start each morning by opening two gifts—they’re called eyes. “Thank you for blessing me with another day,” a wise old owl says.

Why?

Roughly 150,000 people daily twirl into the Reaper’s grim arms. And so, if nothing else, this gives us a reason to feel content. Contentment is satisfaction. Satisfaction is gratitude …

While eating breakfast, “Thank you for blessing me with a meal,” a wise old owl says.

Why?

Almost 700,000,000 people regularly go to bed hungry. And so, if nothing else, this gives us a reason to feel content. Contentment is satisfaction. Satisfaction is gratitude …

Notice a theme?

In short, adopting the above view ultimately results in seeing reality thru grateful eyes. And because gratitude is the capital of Happiness, the next time someone asks “How was your day?” — feel free to pause for reflection . . .

. . . And then translate the question into “How did you look at your day?”

Through grateful eyes.

We’re honored Genius chose Soul Mission for his first Medium article in awhile! — Joe Moody, editor