Pleasure without happiness only serves to cover the empty hole inside of you. The longer this goes on, the bigger the hole becomes and the more pleasure you need to cover up that hole to keep from falling into it.

Holes come in a wide variety of forms such as alcohol, drugs, shopping, social media etc. that take over your life and often become addictions. Don’t let it get to the point that you’re engulfed by the hole, by then it may be too late to turn back.

While pleasure can mask underlying problems that you have, it will not help you close the hole in your soul. Conversely, things like helping other people, fill you up inside. There’s no greater (or longer lasting) feeling than to help someone in need.

We are all born with a purpose/gift to give to the world. Look inside and find out what that gift is for you, and then share it with the world. Once you figure this out and follow through, you are likely to find happiness as well. For this is where the secret to happiness is hidden, right in each of our souls. No one else can find it for you.

Some people know their purpose instinctively early on in their lives, while others never find it. There is no single way to find it, it is different for everyone. Often people know it in their hearts, but refuse to embrace it. There is no rhyme or reason, you just have to listen to yourself and remain open. It may even find you before you find it.

Money and the material things it can buy may bring you pleasure. But finding the gift you have inside and nurturing and sharing your gift with others will bring you happiness. Once you discover your purpose in life, the world will become a brighter place. Everything in your life will be enhanced and your life will be filled with meaning. Often people will “kick themselves,” wondering why it took them so long to discover their purpose when it was right there in front of them all along.

Don’t punish yourself for how long it took you to recognize or embrace your gift. Rather, be thankful that you have arrived at the portion of your journey where it was discovered. Even if your gift was apparent it may have been unrecognized by you simply because you needed more life experience before you could fully appreciate and better utilize your gift.

If you have not yet found your purpose, be patient, these things have a life of their own and do not tend to reveal themselves until the time is right. Rest assured that it is there inside of you already. Sometimes people are so busy masking themselves and seeking pleasures that they are obstructing their own view. Once these obstructions are removed, your gift is likely to shine down brightly on you. It will be familiar to you as it has always been a part of you.

Chances are it is something you’ve always known inside, but you ignored or even fought (That was the case for me). The reason this happens is that we tend to chase our wants, those things that we think will make us happy. These are in fact usually sources of pleasure rather than happiness. We end up neglecting our needs, which is where happiness is waiting to be found.

For me it was not until a couple of extremely disappointing and unpleasant events occurred in my life that it dawned on me. I actually knew after the first event, but it took the second event to spur me to embrace my gift and give up what I had been seeking. Forget seeking pleasure for a while, and like me, you may very well stumble across your purpose and in the process find the happiness you have been longing for all along.

You can follow Sam on Twitter: @SuperTaoInc

Posted in The Mind Side Blog