As we enter a new year, it’s almost impossible to escape the tidal wave of resolutions. Everywhere, people are declaring what they won’t do, how they’ll “fix” themselves, and which habits they’ll break. This collective focus on lack—on what must be eliminated, avoided, or overcome—perpetuates the very energies of woundedness and insufficiency that many are trying to escape.
What if, instead of centering resolutions on the void, we shifted our attention to what we’ve already learned and received this year? What if we asked ourselves: What truths and practices serve me so deeply that they automatically refine my life?
For me, that guiding principle for 2025 is the practice of happiness.
Happiness as a Practice, Not a Feeling
This year has gifted me with a profound actualization—one I’ve long known to be true but spent nearly a decade trying to fully grasp. That decade, marked by extreme trauma, death, loss, and grief, taught me this: happiness isn’t something to chase, achieve, or even feel all the time. It’s a state of being. It’s a practice. The practice of happiness doesn’t mean denying sadness, pain, or discomfort. It means learning to carry the energy of happiness even when life doesn’t “feel good.”
It’s a lesson that came to me as a spirit message during the stillness of the night, awakened from a dream of walking through a vast sunflower field with my best friend (who had passed on early in this journey I’ve found myself on) by a thunderclap so powerful it shook my house:
“Stop resisting the unpleasant feelings and accept the reality that happiness has nothing to do with feeling good all the time.”
At first glance, this seems counterintuitive. We’re conditioned to think happiness equals joy, comfort, and positivity. But happiness in its truest form is about embracing all of life—the light and the dark, the pleasure and the pain. It’s about cultivating an internal equilibrium where joy isn’t dependent on external circumstances but arises from a deeper understanding of life’s balance.
The Myth of Constant Positivity
Toxic positivity—the belief that we must always look on the bright side, always “choose joy,” and dismiss any negative feelings—is one of the greatest barriers to true happiness. This mindset not only ignores the necessity of struggle and growth but also traps people in a cycle of avoidance.
True happiness doesn’t shy away from sadness or discomfort; it welcomes them as integral parts of the human experience. After all, how can we appreciate light without knowing darkness? How can we embrace joy without first understanding sorrow?
Practicing happiness means making peace with life’s polarity. It’s realizing and accepting that nothing is entirely dark or entirely light. In our good experiences, it’s paying attention to the darker sides that remind us to embrace a deeper gratitude for what is wonderful. And in our darkest moments, it’s looking through a lens that allows the good—no matter how small or shrouded in shadows—to coexist with the pain. It is in those shadows that we find hope.
Practicing happiness is choosing to find meaning and growth in both the highs and the lows. It’s recognizing that consistent happiness doesn’t come from a life free of challenges but from a mind free of resistance to them. By welcoming both the light and the dark as essential parts of our journey, we unlock the profound balance where true happiness resides.
From Lack to Abundance
One of the biggest shifts I’ve experienced this year—and the very foundation of the reality I’m carrying into 2025, because it has “worked” so brilliantly to bring balance and a flow of abundance (and I’m not talking dollar signs here) into my life and the lives of those around me for over a year now—is the realization that happiness and a lack mindset cannot coexist. A lack mindset traps us in a cycle of dissatisfaction, endlessly chasing what we don’t have and focusing on what feels wrong. It’s a perspective that convinces us we’re incomplete, perpetuating a sense of scarcity even when we’re surrounded by abundance.
When we instead step into the energy of abundance, everything shifts. Abundance isn’t about material wealth or acquiring more; it’s a state of mind, a way of seeing the world. It’s realizing that the blessings we’re searching for have often been right in front of us all along, patiently waiting for our awareness to catch up. Practicing happiness allows these blessings to rise to the surface, like treasures hidden just beneath the waves.
The fog of “not enough” blinds us to what is already ours: the love, the opportunities, the small but profound joys woven into our daily lives. When we release that fog—when we stop obsessing over what’s missing—we begin to notice the beauty in what we have. Abundance, then, is not about adding anything to our lives but uncovering what was always there. It’s a practice of shifting focus, tuning into the good that exists now rather than waiting for some future moment to make us feel whole.
How to Practice Happiness
Practicing happiness is a daily choice and a lifelong journey. Here are a few ways I’m committing to this practice in 2025:
1. Radical Acceptance: Embracing both the pleasant and unpleasant feelings as part of the same beautiful tapestry.
2. Gratitude as a Lens: Consistently looking for what is already good, no matter how small, and letting that be the foundation for my energy.
3. Presence Over Perfection: Allowing myself to be fully in the moment, without the pressure to “fix” or control it.
4. Self-Compassion: Treating myself with the same kindness and understanding I would offer a dear friend.
5. Connection: Nurturing relationships and experiences that align with this energy of wholeness and balance.
Blessings in Plain Sight: Reflecting on 2024
As I reflect on 2024, I’m reminded that many of the blessings I sought were already right in front of me. Happiness isn’t something I need to find or create; it’s something I need to practice. By cultivating this energy within myself, I’ve discovered that blessings flow naturally—unseen gifts become visible, and life feels fuller and more meaningful.
As we move into 2025, I challenge you to shift your focus. Instead of asking, “What do I need to cut out or stop doing?” ask, “What have I already learned that can guide me forward? What practices serve me so deeply that they transform my energy?”
For me, that practice is happiness. And I believe it will bring blessing upon blessing—not because life will always feel good, but because I’m learning to see the beauty and balance in all of it.
Closing Thoughts
The practices I’ve shared above will undoubtedly bring success and transformation in many areas of life, but only if they become second nature—woven into the very fabric of who we are. This shift requires consistency, a purposeful and mindful existence at every level, and, most importantly, grace. We must learn to accept God’s grace and extend that same grace to ourselves as we grow, stumble, and rise again.
I hope this message resonates with you and offers something of value to carry with you into the year ahead. May it be a blessing to all who share in this journey of elevating our hearts, minds, and spirits. Wishing you blessings, love, and happiness as we step into a year that will undoubtedly come with its scares, hiccups, and world-altering events—but one that will be worth every moment if we continue to elevate, create, and sustain a vibration of love within and around us, no matter what we face.
The Twin Tree Project 